A BOUNTIFUL BUNCH OF BEAUTIFUL CHARD

Couldn't resist the gorgeous bunch of swiss chard I saw the other day. I knew I had vegetables in the fridge that needed to be consumed and was tired of that head of cabbage that seemed to grow new life each time I opened the fridge drawer.  I also had a carrot sitting around, some spinach and a couple of potatoes.  I buy a lot of noodles and vegetables from a local Asian market. These stacked noodles cook up quickly and are great in stir fries. 

I love my wok. I use it a lot because I can make a meal in one place, and it's fast!  Last night was stir-fry time.

ON THE CUTTING BOARD:

Cabbage, swiss chard, spinach, noodles, carrot, potatoes, 

sun dried tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, 3 slices cooked, crisp bacon,

garlic, fresh turmeric, black mustard seed, dried dill,

sesame seeds, crushed red pepper, cardamon pods, dried coriander,

fish sauce, dark soy sauce, canola oil

STEP ONE:  

Pour one T. of canola oil in a wok and heat. Add black mustard seed,

sesame seeds, coriander, crushed red pepper, dried dill and about six

cardamon pods to the oil and let sizzle for a minute or two, stirring 

constantly. Add potatoes to the pan and stir for about three minutes

on med. heat.

STEP TWO:

Cook the noodles for 8-10 minutes. Add chopped carrot 

and four large cloves of chopped garlic to wok and stir for 

another couple of minutes. Grate about an inch-long

piece of turmeric to the mixture. Sprinkle about a tsp. or so of 

fish sauce and a T. of dark soy. These ingredients are very salty

so use your discretion as to how much you want to use. Taste it 

to determine the amounts. I like to add my garlic in the second

step rather than earlier so that it doesn't overcook and become bitter. 

I also think you get more of the fresh garlic taste.

STEP THREE:

Add about two cups of shredded cabbage to the wok. Shred

quickly with the large blades of a grater or chop. Keep stirring

on medium-high heat. Add reconstituted sun dried tomatoes.

STEP FOUR:

Add the swiss chard and spinach. I didn't remove 

the white spines from the chard before I placed it in the 

wok. It would be a better idea to do it BEFORE you put it 

in the wok. Stir away!

STEP FIVE:

Add the drained noodles to the wok and stir. There should

be quite a loud sizzle going on!  When throughly mixed,

turn off the heat. I threw some barberries in since I had 

some on hand.

STEP SIX:  

If you choose, crumble the bacon on top and serve. 

ALLA VOSTRA SALUTE!