This dinner is a big hit with my family. I use swiss chard, but feel free to use kale or spinach. I also use navy beans (which are actually white, despite the name), but any white bean, such as cannellini or great northern, will work. Serve this stew over garlic toasts (see below for instructions) with a side salad and you’re good to go…

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 pound Swiss chard, ribs and stems removed and cleaned
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped shallots, about 4 medium
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 2 15-ounce cans (or about 3 3/4 cups) white beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups (or more to taste) vegetable broth
• 1 cup pureed tomatoes (from a can/carton/your jarred summer supply)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 to 4 fresh thyme sprigs
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

Directions:

1. Bring medium pot of salted water to boil. Cook chard (or any heavier green; no need to precook baby spinach) for one minute, then drain and squeeze out as much extra water as possible. Let chard cool and coarsely chop.
2. Wipe out medium pot to dry it, and heat olive oil over medium. Add carrots, celery, shallots, and garlic and saute for 15 minutes.
3. Add wine (scraping up any bits that have stuck to the pot) and cook until it is reduced by three-fourths.
4. Add beans, broth, tomatoes, a few pinches of salt, freshly ground black pepper, thyme, and bay leaf and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes.
6. Add chard and cook for 5 minutes more.
7. Remove thyme and bay leaf. Add more broth if you’d like a thinner stew and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
8. Serve as is drizzled with sherry vinegar.

Options: Ladle stew over garlic toasts and/or top with chopped herbs such as tarragon, parsley or chives and grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.

To make garlic toasts:

1. Brush thick bread slices with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with sea salt.
2. Toast bread under the broiler (watch closely to make sure you don’t burn them – they cook quickly under the broiler).
3. As soon as you take them out of the oven, rub the toasts with a halved raw garlic clove.

Adapted from www.smittenkitchen.com by Deb Perelman.