Swiss chard rolls with millet and tofu

It has been a long while since I last posted on this site… The past year has been full of changes for me, with moving into my own house, returning back to work, juggling a household with a demanding toddler… It seemed to me as if I was not able to catch a breath and certain things ended up being pushed aside for this illusory moment of time that has never arrived. I guess that quite a few of you can relate to this feeling of exhaustion which clouds the creativity completely.

However, starting this site was a huge step for me and even though I have not had time to grow it as far as I would like it to, I came to a realisation that it is an important part of me and that is why it is being revived. Although with some changes.

In the past few months, I have become increasingly interested in the nutritional side of cooking, trying to incorporate as many valuable nutrients as possible into the everyday meals of my family. This has led to even more experimentation in the kitchen and these results of my culinary adventures I would like to share with you. Please beware that it is by no means any expert advice on diet or nutrition. These are my personal endeavours while aiming to add some new or unexpected components into the Polish or Swiss dishes, which may result in making them lighter than the traditional versions. Put your fears aside though, as there is also a place for indulgence here too.

Having started a garden, I have recently welcomed an abundance of Swiss chards. The leaves grew so much that they inspired me to create a dish which would involve putting a stuffing into them. Borrowing on from the idea of the Polish cabbage rolls (called gołąbki), I decided to fill in the Swiss chard leaves with millet, popular grain in Poland. The earthy bitterness of the Swiss chard contrasts here with a slightly sweet taste of sautéed carrots. It is rounded up with chili and lemony thyme and melted in silken tofu before being stewed in a thick tomato sauce. Filling your nostrils with warm cumin, once you bite into one of these rolls, your senses will be welcomed with a delicate concoction of millet accompanied by crunchy walnuts.

Swiss chard rolls with millet and tofu

Recipe by monika.gemmetCourse: DinnerDifficulty: Medium

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

45

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

A plant-based take on one of Polish most popular dishes

Ingredients

• 200g dry millet

• 1 tbsp. olive oil

• 1 onion, chopped

• 2 carrots, grated

• 3-4 big Swiss chard leaves, stems separated from the leaves

• bunch of lemon thyme, leaves picked, a few sprigs left for decoration

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp chili

• 1 tsp freshly ground pepper

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• 1 tsp granulated garlic

• 250g silken tofu, drained and crumbled

• 50g walnuts, coarsely blended

• Quick tomato sauce

• 400ml tomato passata

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp freshly ground pepper

• 1/2 tsp dried thyme

• 150 ml vegetable broth

Directions

• Start with cooking the millet: put the dry millet in a saucepan, add 350 ml of boiling water, a pinch of salt, stir it a few times and bring it to boil again, then cover and reduce the heat to low. Continue cooking on a low heat for 15 minutes. Once all the liquid has been absorbed, remove from the stove and keep covered for another 5 minutes. Set it aside, uncover and let it cool down.
• In a large pan, heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil, then add the chopped onion and fry for 5 minutes or until translucent.
• Add the grated carrots and the diced Swiss chard stems. Fry for another 5 minutes, stirring in occasionally.
• Put in the spices: lemon thyme leaves, ground cumin, chili and granulated garlic, season with salt and pepper, continue frying for additional 5 minutes, stirring in the mixture from time to time.
• Mix in the drained and crumbled tofu and stir to combine.
• Take the mixture off the stove and set aside, letting it cool off. Once cool enough to handle, combine it with the cooked millet and the ground walnuts.
• In the meantime, prepare the tomato sauce: put all the sauce ingredients in a saucepan, bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and let it cook for 10 minutes.
• To assemble the rolls: take a Swiss chard leave, put 2 tbsps. of the filling in the middle, then fold the sides inwards over the filling. Roll the Swiss chard leaf over the filling, pressing and tucking in as you go and until it is seam side down. Repeat with the rest of the leaves and the filling.
• Place the Swiss chard rolls the seam side down in a large pan, pour over the tomato sauce, cover and cook on a medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Decorate with the leftover lemon thymes sprigs and serve directly from the pan.

Notes

• I have added grounded walnuts because of my toddler, however, if you would like to add some texture to the filling, you can just use chopped walnuts.
• Walnuts work perfectly in this filling, however, you can substitute for any nuts. If you have some time, you can also roast them for 5 minutes in a dry pan for even more flavour.
• As the leaves I was using were huge, I halved them before adding the filling. Depending on the size of the Swiss chard leaves you are using, you may use the whole ones.
• Be generous with the lemon thyme, as it truly does shine in this dish.
• In case you end up with some leftover filling, you can use it next day in pancakes, dumplings or as a base for a stir-fry dish.