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Braised Chard and Orecchiette Served with Cod

Serves 4, 70 minutes

Ingredients

5 slices prosciutto
1 Tbs olive oil
1 lb cod, quartered
1 Tbs butter
1 bunch red chard
1 leek, thinly sliced
1 garlic glove, minced
3 sage leaves, minced
3 Tbs sun dried tomatoes, diced
3/4 cup dry white wine
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup peas
1/2 bunch parsley, chopped
1 cup grated parmigiana reggiano
1 cup microgreens
squeeze of lemon
salt and pepper to taste

1 lb orecchiette pasta

1. Separate from leaves and thinly slice chard stems. Coarsely chop leaves and keep separate. Set aside.
   
2. In Dutch oven, on high heat, fry prosciutto until crispy. Set aside.
   
3. While prosciutto is frying, pat cod dry and salt. Add olive oil to empty Dutch oven, followed by cod pieces. Reduce to medium high heat. Cook 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove from pot and set aside.
   
4. Melt butter in Dutch oven. Add chard stems, leek, & garlic. Salt. Cook for 10-15 minutes
   
5. Increase heat to high and add wine, stirring constantly and adjusting heat as liquid evaporates. Add vegetable broth once alcohol has cooked off. Bring to a boil
   
6. Meanwhile, in a large pot, boil water and cook orecchiette for 6-7 minutes.
   
7. Reduce heat on Dutch Oven and bring to a simmer. Add peas, parsley, and chard leaves. Salt and pepper. Then place cooked cod quarters on top of the mix. Cover and turn off burner. Let rest for 8-10 minutes, until chard is full cooked and cod is falling apart.
   
8. Remove cod and aside again.
   
9. Strain orecchiette and mix in with vegetables and broth. Add parmesan and microgreens. Crumble in 2/3 of prosciutto. Reserve the rest for garnish.
   
10. Serve with cod pieces on top and finish with a squeeze of lemon and remaining prosciutto.

Cook’s note: Cod is not a necessary part of this dish; I just love fish. It also isn’t a very pretty fish when cooked, unlike salmon. So if you want to speed things up, just steam it at the end and don’t worry about searing it at the top. It’ll still taste and look about the same. You can also stir it in with the pasta, as it really falls apart when cooked, and you will have a hard time serving it as a tidy or attractive fillet. There’s a reason why you’ve usually eaten cod battered.

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