Breakfast on the farm

Our membership to the Waltham Fields Community Farm brings us so much joy and the farm is now a central fixture in our lives.  While we visit the farm weekly to pick up our CSA share, we try to participate in other activities when we can - tonight we're off to gaze at the stars with member Andrew West! 

Waiting in line for breakfast on the farm!

Recently, we attended a fundraising breakfast hosted by the farm.  The stupendous meal was made entirely of farm veggies cooked by a local restaurant, Kitchen on the Common.  For a modest donation, we were treated to creamed kale with eggs, swiss chard fritters, pickled veggies, and cole slaw.  I know, I know.  We were skeptical about this selection at breakfast-time, too, but it proved to be a revelation!  The kale was softened by the cream sauce and the eggs, and the creaminess was balanced by the pickled veggies (though I don't think many guests to my home would welcome pickled beets at any time of day, let alone early in the morning).  While we were settled in a corner of the field sampling these goodies, we all agreed that it was the swiss chard fritter that beat out the competition.  It was flavored with scallions and had a little crunch, with the softness that comes from pancake batter.  I have tried to make this since, with varied success, and was thrilled when the farm sent out the recipe this morning.  So, now I share this fabulousness with you, fresh from the farm:

Swiss Chard Fritters

This recipe was provided by Chef Joh Kokubo of Kitchen on Common restaurant. He made these fritters for our 2012 Breakfast on the Farm event and they were a big hit! Recipe serves 8-10 Fritter Batter Ingredients

• Half cup All Purpose Flour
• Half cup Cornmeal, finely ground
• Half tsp Baking Powder
• 2 Eggs, beaten
• Quarter cup Milk
• 1 tsp Butter, melted
• Salt & Pepper

Garden Ingredients

• 1 bunch Swiss Chard
• Chopped Fresh Herbs, your choice - parsley, thyme, scallions, etc.

Directions
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal and baking powder. Add the eggs, milk and melted butter all at once and whisk to combine. The batter should be about the consistency of a loose pancake batter. Wash and dry the Swiss chard, remove the ribs, and cut into quarter inch ribbons. Using a spatula, fold the Swiss chard and fresh herbs into the batter until well coated. Cook the fritters in a pre-heated saute pan over medium to medium-high heat until lightly browned on one side, then flip and brown the other side. The fritter can be cooked in individual portions using spoon-sized amounts or in a larger pancake size and then cut into wedges to serve. Note: Smaller sized cooked whole grains like quinoa and kaniwa make a very nice addition to the fritter batter. I have not tried flax seed or cooked amaranth, teff, or millet but if you are feeling adventurous I think they would work equally as well!