Venison with Swiss Chard Orzo

I feel like such a poser. For some reason I’m attracted to vegan and vegetarian cookbooks. And when I wanted to make something to go with the venison steaks DH would be grilling? I Googled “kale with pasta and pine nuts” I ended up at Two Little Vegans.

I apologize to the real vegans and vegetarians. I hope you don’t mind me liking your food, even if I do defile it with animal flesh on occasion.

As I was saying, I knew DH was going to grill venison steaks for dinner, but what to make with it? We have a boatload of potatoes in the garage but I just wasn’t in the mood. I wanted something a bit lighter, preferably that included greens. I have serious greens cravings these days. I thought I had some kale in the freezer from last summer. Hmm, maybe with pasta? Oh, pine nuts sound good too. So I Googled “kale with pasta and pine nuts” and up popped Two Little Vegans’ recipe for Kale Penne Pasta. There I discovered that they added caramelized onions and garlic to it. So I decided to go my own way, using that tidbit of info.

When I got home I realized there was no kale, only Swiss Chard. And I had no Penne, just orzo. Hence I ended up making Swiss Chard Orzo instead of Kale Penne Pasta. Which is pretty much the same thing as pasta with greens except it sounds so much more fancy when you use the specific ingredient names, don’t you think?

Ingredients:

• 1 lb whole wheat pasta (I used orzo)
• 1 bunch greens (I used Swiss chard)
• 1 onion, chopped
• olive oil
• balsamic vinegar to taste
• pine nuts (optional, but I love ‘em)
• mushrooms (which I didn’t use this time but will next! I’ll probably just add dried mushrooms to the chard and pasta while it boils)

I boiled the Swiss chard along with the pasta according to package directions; sauteed a chopped onion in olive oil until it started to caramelize. Drain the chard and pasta (hint: you’ll need a SMALL mesh colander if using orzo, otherwise the orzo bits will go through the holes into the sink), add the onions, and sprinkle in some good balsamic vinegar for good measure.

The Verdict: Seriously good, even if I do say so myself. DH grilled the steaks with Char-Broil All Purpose Seasoning, 6-Ounce which added a saltiness that stood up to the stronger flavor of the Swiss chard (which, incidentally, was from either last summer or the summer before. Just a quick stir fry and vacuum seal and it stays in the freezer for a very long time!). I could have used a bit more balsamic so I’ll give a bit more of a drizzle next time. DH had seconds, which tells me he really liked it too, although he asked why I didn’t put mushrooms in it. Yes, that would have made it perfect.

Related posts:

1. Chard Cheese Bake
2. Stuffed Acorn Squash with Sweet & Sour Swiss Chard
3. Chard or Kale Enchiladas

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