This recipe seemed to be buried under my nostalgic ode to Ohio in a post I wrote years ago after a memorable trip to visit my family. I spent a lot of time with my late Sicilian grandmother and my aunts on that trip. It was a fantastic time of year because so much of the summer harvest was still bearing fruit and everyone was happy and generous, eager to cook and enjoy the rustic countryside of Ohio that I grew up with and have loved and missed over the years.
This recipe for Sicilian Swiss Chard is one that my aunt made in just a few minutes. I never really knew that it was something my grandmother liked to make and eat because it wasn’t one of those things she made for the Sunday dinners, which were more family-style meals (think lasagna or pasta with meatballs), so I learned something new about her during this visit- and I also learned that I had unknowingly inherited a love of greens and that learning how to make something this simple would be one of the healthiest types of dishes in my repertoire to date. It’s something I have made over and over again, with spinach or kale instead, and it saved me many times when I lived in Turkey and there was an abundance of greens to cook. I hope you’ll enjoy it and prepare it for yourself and your family, too.
Serves 2
Ingredients
1/2 pound ripe tomatoes, peeled and cut into small pieces. I recommend this Italian boxed variety if you don’t have fresh tomatoes on hand.
1 bunch red or green-stemmed Swiss chard, cooked and drained of all water. Substitute spinach or kale if you don’t have Swiss chard. (Always choose organic/pesticide-free on the greens, if possible).
This recipe seemed to be buried under my nostalgic ode to Ohio in a post I wrote years ago after a memorable trip to visit my family. I spent a lot of time with my late Sicilian grandmother and my aunts on that trip. It was a fantastic time of year because so much of the summer harvest was still bearing fruit and everyone was happy and generous, eager to cook and enjoy the rustic countryside of Ohio that I grew up with and have loved and missed over the years.
This recipe for Sicilian Swiss Chard is one that my aunt made in just a few minutes. I never really knew that it was something my grandmother liked to make and eat because it wasn’t one of those things she made for the Sunday dinners, which were more family-style meals (think lasagna or pasta with meatballs), so I learned something new about her during this visit- and I also learned that I had unknowingly inherited a love of greens and that learning how to make something this simple would be one of the healthiest types of dishes in my repertoire to date. It’s something I have made over and over again, with spinach or kale instead, and it saved me many times when I lived in Turkey and there was an abundance of greens to cook. I hope you’ll enjoy it and prepare it for yourself and your family, too.
Sicilian Swiss Chard Recipe
Serves 2
Ingredients
1/2 pound ripe tomatoes, peeled and cut into small pieces. I recommend this Italian boxed variety if you don’t have fresh tomatoes on hand.
1 bunch red or green-stemmed Swiss chard, cooked and drained of all water. Substitute spinach or kale if you don’t have Swiss chard. (Always choose organic/pesticide-free on the greens, if possible).
Going back to Ohio this year at the cusp of summer’s end and the start of fall was a really blessed opportunity to appreciate what’s so beautiful about rural communities, ethnic neighborhoods and simple, all-American living. I was born here, raised here, and spent some of my best years in the nooks and crannies of this rustic place. I rode my bike freely through the windy suburban streets and down large hills lined with cherry trees in the spring and enormous maple trees that changed to a fiery red, orange, and yellow every autumn. Just like clockwork.
With my parents a favorite past time of ours was to take drives into the country, stopping at small roadside stands of backyard gardeners selling their produce for such small amounts they were practically giving it away. Looking back, I think they enjoyed the social aspect of farm stand selling. Back then, they’d sit out front watching as passersby stopped to pick up plums, tomatoes, green beans or whatever was in season.
I still remember fondly a lovely elder couple from Croatia who was a fixture on the urban roads just outside of town. They knew us well, not by name, but by face. Language was a barrier, but they spoke with their hands and always gave the warm, generous gesture to “put more into the paper bag” that would be our seasonal, organic and very local produce.
It’s those country drives I miss.
And the frequent interactions with farm stand owners, those backyard growers I never realized would be a scarce apparition today.
That’s why I tried to spend as much time getting back to my childhood past times while visiting with the people who understand those pleasures the most.
It seemed like the moment I arrived back home this year, I was thrust into the essence of preserving the summer harvest. Everyone with enough space for a garden was gifting bags of healthy red tomatoes, gorgeous thick beans, and waxy, hot peppers. I even received one of the largest kohlrabi I’d ever seen. They said it had grown a bit too much.
One of the very first visits I had to my cousin’s home, I found my aunt intently peeling, seeding and chopping tomatoes (from her garden), green peppers, onions and a bit of tiny orange habanero peppers (from my cousin’s garden) to make her famous salsa (above). She added nothing more than a bit of lime and salt and we were set to snack. Organic, seasonal salsa that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg at a local organic store- the backyard is the store.
Soon after, my dad knew I was craving a bit of country scenery so he took me out a place called Mapleside Farms (info. at the end of this post) in Brunswick, Ohio. It’s a country farm store that sells local produce and mostly apple products from the orchards right out back. There’s also a hilltop restaurant that overlooks the orchards, which are amazingly beautiful this time of year. They also have events for families with kids like hay rides in the fall. It’s just enough country for those folks living close to the city who want to experience just a certain amount of outdoors.
They had lots of different apple products such as cider, caramel apples, apple cider vinegar and even a bakery filled with homemade goods. I managed to get away with the last of the season’s peaches, homemade sorghum, and of course, the apples. Lots of apples. Which later became homemade applesauce.
Later when visiting my grandmother, I found more to be learned about how our Sicilian family utilizes the fresh Ohio produce to make traditional meals that are perfectly delicious here and made seasonally.
The best example of this (aside from my grandmother’s Sicilian Tomato Sauce) is this really quick Swiss chard dish my aunt prepared while another aunt was showing me the secret to making the best tomato sauce in the world (in our humble opinions, of course)- my grandmother’s recipe. When you’ve got tomatoes, garlic, and Swiss chard, why you’ve got a meal. Simple food at its best. (Get the recipe here)
On one of my last days in Ohio, my dad and I eagerly drove out to Hunt’s Organic Farm in Oberlin, Ohio. Last year we stumbled upon this place by accident; this year we knew exactly where and why we were headed this way: to fetch some good old organic eggs for ourselves and our family members who had never tried them before.
Our quest led to some disappointment.
We should have called ahead.
All the eggs were gone.
If you go (which I think you should), just call ahead. And bring cash.
Here’s more information about the places mentioned above and other organic food resources I’m familiar with in Ohio.
Mapleside Farms/294 Pearl Road/Brunswick, Ohio 44212/330.225.5577
I had an incredible time visiting my family this summer in Ohio. Among those fond memories was a visit to Holmes County, home to one of the largest populations of Amish in the world.
Although I had never really visited the heart of Amish Country, I feel as though I’ve known the culture, craftsmanship and food all my life.
As a young girl, I plopped into the backseat of my parents’ silver Oldsmobile and looked forward to strolling around the local Saturday flea market with them. They appreciated every bit of what the Amish vendors brought of their baked goods: homemade apple turnovers, zucchini breads, oatmeal cookies, kettle corn, and more. To this day, whenever I go home for a visit, mom always has something ‘Amish’ for us to take back.
This trip was somewhat different: I was taking mom and her friend and neighbor on an unforgettable outing- a day full of finding local, seasonal and naturally organic produce while at the same time experiencing the lives of an interesting and rich culture within the culture of Ohio. We were going into their world- and a different, peaceful world it was.
About two hours from Cleveland from flat urban roads to hilly, bucolic small town America, the drive itself was my favorite part. You just know you’re in Amish country when you see overalls hanging in the sun to dry and freshly-painted wooden signs advertising handmade wooden furniture for sale.
Upon arrival we immediately began looking for places to shop. The Amish are known for their sturdy handmade baskets, simple quilts and fantastic woodwork. They’re also known for their jams, jellies, pies, cookies and pickling every garden vegetable available in the region. Needless to say, the Amish grocery store was one of our first stops. I think we were there for well over an hour…
For lunch, we ate at the beautiful Chalet in the Valley restaurant, a Swiss owned and run family gathering place that actually was made to feel as though one really is in the small European nation. We were, after all, up in the hills.
At the Chalet, we ate some of the best home-cooked restaurant food anyone could ask for. Great Lakes Walleye (fish), home cooked potato hash browns and silky dumplings alongside fresh summer greens were on my plate. The owner, an elderly Swiss woman with a heavy accent, came to our table to talk to us about our food and our experience. With no room for dessert, we sang our praises and thanked her for even asking.
Guggisberg Cheese Shop Where You Can See How Cheese is Made
Right outside the restaurant, we noticed a young girl selling baskets and an elderly man selling just a couple bottles of honey. I headed first for the baskets to talk to the young girl who told me her entire family has been making and selling baskets for generations. Amazing.
Amish Family Baskets for Sale
Baskets Among the Family Buggy
On to buy some honey…
I wanted to assume the honey was local, but just to be sure I had the facts, I asked anyway. Much to my dismay, the farmer told us with sad eyes that the honey this year came from Michigan because all of the bees in the area had died this year. “What? Not all?” I asked. “Yes, it’s true. Something’s going on with them and we don’t quite know what it is.”
It seemed rather poetic that a huge thunderstorm rolled in during those very moments. Dark skies overhead decided our day in Amish Country would be coming to a close. One last stop for fresh produce and we would zip right past all those buggies to get home, back to our country, which seemed now like a world away…
