Black Bean and Chard Stew

I get annoyed when Rachael Ray says things like "stewp."  She makes up all these silly words and slang phrases that tend to annoy me.  Stewp is what she calls something that is thicker than a soup, but not quite as thick as a stew.  The first time I heard that I rolled my eyes.  There is not so much space between a soup and a stew, thought I, that there needs to be a third, middle term. 

And yet, here I am, post-dinner, staring down at my giant pot of leftovers and realizing, gosh darn it, it's a stewp.  But I still refuse to say the word.

The brothy, vegetabley pot of goodness which led me to my unpleasant revelation is the result of a) wanting to cook (and eat) swiss chard for the very first time, and b) the food-creativity wheels in my head going into overdrive.  I've been wanting to try chard for a while now.  I'm not well versed in greens in general, being very familiar with spinach but not at all familiar with most everything else.  My idea for my foray into the land of chard was to make a stew, and then I got to thinking what sort of stew, and it grew from there. 

My Black Bean and Chard Stew, as I'm calling it, is chock-full of flavors and colors.  I roasted fresh tomatoes and left them in large chunks so you really notice their sweet taste.  I also added butternut squash which adds lovely color and texture.  Being full up on nutrient-dense veggies and healthy black beans, this stew is extremely healthy, which means I had to balance that by topping it with something much less healthy: I made goat cheese and green chile pinwheels, which absolutely made the nummy quotient of this meal explode right off the top of the chart.  I have to say, I am extremely proud of myself for this one.

The chard I used in this recipe was a striking bunch of Rainbow Chard, but any chard will do.

Black Bean and Chard Stew
veggie oil
3 smallish tomatoes (such as roma)
1 small bunch chard (8-10 stalks)
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/2 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, 1/2 inch dice (about two cups)
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp each: garlic powder, oregano, cumin, black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne
4 oz (1 can) diced green chiles
2 cans black beans (or equivalent amount dried beans, soaked overnight, boiled until tender)
4 c veggie stock
2 c water
2 tsp corn starch

Score the skin of the tomatoes at the base and toss them in a tsp of veggie oil and a dash of salt and pepper.  Roast in a 375 oven for 30 minutes.  Allow to cool slightly, and peel skins.  Roughly chop tomatoes, reserving juice.

Prep chard with a thorough washing and completely separating stems from the leaves.  Remove any tough bases and dice the stems.  Chop the leaves into 1/2 inch ribbons.

Heat 2T veg oil in a large pot on low.  Add chard stems and cook 10 minutes.  Stir in onions and cook another 5 minutes.  Stir in squash and cook another 5 minutes.  Finally, add chard leaves and cook 1 minute or until chard is just wilted.  Stir in tomato paste, seasonings, chiles, beans, tomatoes and juice, stock, and water.  Whisk a few spoonfuls of water with the corn starch and stir into the pot.

Simmer the stew for 15-20 minutes.  Taste for seasoning and adjust as desired.  Serve with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream, or with Goat Cheese and Green Chile Pinwheels.

I'll share the recipe for the pinwheels in my next post, coming soon.  Happy eating!