Perogies with Sausage and Chard

I made this for dinner tonight and found it very tasty. Canadians will be familiar with the mighty perogy and it’s wondrous comfort-food qualities. Friends in the US, however, may not be, which I think is supremely sad (and mildly surprising given the US’s predilection for fried potatoes in various forms). Perogies, for the uninformed, are little dough pockets filled with mashed-potato goodness that often includes cheese or onions. They are Ukrainian in origin and once they are made (a long, laborious process, I usually just buy the frozen ones) they are traditionally cooked by boiling, though they can also be fried or baked. I find the baking method to be a consistently successful and simple method of preparation.

Here is a lovely way to serve perogies. I often serve them with sausage and onion (sausage & saurkraut are traditional friends of perogies) and today decided that a bunch of chard would be a great addition to my frying pan of sausagey-oniony goodness.

Ingredients
4 large, traditional sausages, any type, removed from casings
1 large or 2 small onions, halved & sliced
1 bunch chard, stems & ribs separated from leaves, and separately chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp water
18 perogies, baked
sour cream (if desired)
Method
1. In large frying pan, fry sausage until almost cooked, add onion and cook until soft.

2. Add chard stems & ribs to fry pan, cook until soft. Add chard leaves & water, cook until soft.

3. Serve perogies atop sausage mixture, top with sour cream as desired

Serves 3

Rosemary Lamb Chops with Swiss Chard and Balsamic Syrup

I have made this twice now with great success. Both times I served it with mashed yams, I find the sweetness of the yams compliments the tangy chard and balsamic quite nicely. It seems quite complicated and fancy but is really quite simple. I recommend following the recipe quite closely as there are details that make the whole process much simpler. I add extra garlic to both the chard and the chops. I also rub the spices into both sides of the chops instead of just sprinkling them on.

For balsamic syrup
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1/8 teaspoon black peppercorns

For chard
1 bunch Swiss chard (1 lb)
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon water

For lamb chops
8 rib lamb chops (1 1/4 lb total), trimmed of all fat
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Make syrup:
Simmer syrup ingredients in a 1- to 1 1/2-quart nonreactive saucepan (see cooks’ note, below) over moderate heat until just syrupy and reduced to about 1/4 cup, about 8 minutes. Pour through a sieve into a small bowl, discarding rosemary and peppercorns.

Sauté chard:
Cut stems and center ribs from chard, discarding any tough portions, then cut stems and ribs crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Stack chard leaves and roll into cylinders. Cut cylinders crosswise to make 1-inch-wide strips.

Cook onion and garlic in oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to soften, about 4 minutes. Add chard stems and ribs, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until stems are just tender, about 6 minutes. Stir in chard leaves and water and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 8 minutes.

Broil chops while chard cooks:
Preheat broiler. Sprinkle chops with garlic, salt, rosemary, and pepper, then broil on a lightly oiled broiler pan, 4 to 5 inches from heat, turning over once, for medium-rare, 6 to 7 minutes total. Serve chops and chard drizzled with balsamic syrup.

Cooks’ note:
Stainless steel and enameled cast iron are nonreactive, but avoid pure aluminum and uncoated iron.