Red Wine Vinegar Chard with Peppery Ricotta and a Fried Egg

Have you heard about this clever and fun new campaign out to get people to buy ugly vegetables?  Read about it here, and to be honest I love funny looking vegetables.  Speaking of vegetables my garden is coming along pretty well for the most part with my tomatoes and peppers loving this heat.  But my spinach not so much, it just shot up and started flowering and my turnips were eaten by bugs immediately. This heat wave in PDX is really starting to get to me, haven't been able to sleep well in about two weeks now because of it.  While I like the sunshine I honestly can't wait for fall, it is my favorite time of year by far.  I adapted this recipe and it was a perfect meatless meal for a hot evening.

Serves 4

The Ingredients
3 pounds red or white Swiss chard, leaves sliced into ½-inch-wide ribbons
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups fresh ricotta, preferably sheep’s milk ricotta, drained
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3 tablespoons freshly cracked black pepper
salt
5 eggs


The Process
1.  Bring 8 quarts of water to a boil in a large pasta pot. Set up a large ice bath nearby.

2.  When the water comes to a boil, add 2 tablespoons salt. Drop the chard into the water and cook until tender, 7 to 8 minutes.

3.  Drain the chard and plunge it into the ice bath. When it has cooled, drain it well. Place the chard between two platters and press them together very firmly to release the excess water. Place the chard in a large mixing bowl, add the oil and vinegar, and toss. Season lightly with salt, and set in a cool place or in the fridge.

4.  Mix the ricotta, nutmeg, and black pepper in a bowl until well blended. Set aside.

5.  On medium-high heat up a skillet with olive oil in it and fry your eggs until desired done-ness is reached.

6.  When ready to serve, place chard in bowls and put dollops of ricotta mixture on the chard and place egg on top.