Recipes for Health - Chard and Chard Stalk Gratin

2 large bunches chard with thick stalks

Salt to taste

1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced

1 recipeolive oil béchamel

Freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1.Bring a large pot of water to a boil while you stem the chard. Fill a bowl with ice water. Wash the greens in two changes of water, and set aside. Wash the stems thoroughly, trim away the ends and slice crosswise about 1/2 inch thick. When the water in the pot comes to a boil, salt generously and add the chard stalks. Turn the heat down to medium, and boil gently for five to seven minutes until the stalks are just cooked through. Remove from the pot with a skimmer or a slotted spoon, and drain on paper towels. Bring the water in the pot back to a boil, and add the greens. Blanch for one to two minutes until tender, and transfer to the ice water. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes, then drain and squeeze out excess water. Chop coarsely.

2.Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Oil a 2-quart gratin dish. Combine the cooked chard stems and greens in a large bowl. Add the garlic, béchamel and freshly ground pepper to taste. Gently stir together, and scrape into the gratin dish. Sprinkle the Parmesan over the top. Place in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes until the top begins to brown. Remove from the heat, and allow to cool until the bubbling has subsided, then serve.

Yield:Serves four as a side dish.

Advance preparation:The dish can be assembled up to a day before baking and held in the refrigerator, tightly covered.

Alternative cooking method for the chard and chard stalks: Chop the washed chard leaves before cooking. Instead of blanching, heat 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet and add 2 garlic cloves, minced. When the garlic smells fragrant (about 30 seconds), add the sliced chard stalks and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until the stalks are tender, five to eight minutes. Turn up the heat to medium-high, and add the leaves, in batches if necessary. Stir and cover for a minute or two so that the leaves wilt in the liquid left on them after cooking. Add the remaining batches of leaves, and repeat until all of the chard is wilted. Remove from the heat, and transfer to a bowl.

Nutritional information per serving:194calories; 10 grams fat; 3 gramssaturated fat; 12 milligramscholesterol; 18 gramscarbohydrates; 4 gramsdietary fiber; 625 milligrams sodium (does not include salt added during cooking); 11 grams protein

Martha Rose Shulman can be reached atmartha-rose-shulman.com.

Source

Recipes for Health - Asparagus and Herb Lasagna

2 large garlic cloves, peeled

Salt

2 poundsasparagus

1 recipeolive oil béchamel

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh herbs, such as tarragon, chervil, parsley, chives, basil, arugula

1/2 pound no-boil lasagna noodles

1.Fill apastapot with water, and add the garlic cloves. Bring to a boil while you trim the asparagus by breaking off the woody ends. When the water comes to a boil, add salt to taste and the asparagus ends. Reduce the heat to medium low, cover partially and simmer the asparagus ends for 30 minutes. Remove the asparagus ends and the garlic cloves from the water and discard. Bring the water back to a boil, and add the asparagus stalks. Boil thick asparagus stalks for five minutes, medium and thin stalks for three minutes. Transfer them, using a spider or tongs, to a bowl of ice water. Do not drain the cooking water. Allow the asparagus to cool for a few minutes, then drain and dry on a clean kitchen towel. If the asparagus stalks are thick, cut in half lengthwise first, then cut the asparagus (thick or thin) into 1-inch lengths. Set aside.

2.Whisk 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the cooking water from the asparagus into the béchamel, along with 1/4 cup of the Parmesan and the herbs. Add freshly ground pepper to taste and adjust salt.

3.Oil or butter a 3-quart baking dish or lasagna dish. Bring the water back to a rolling boil, and drop in enough lasagna noodles to cover the surface of the baking dish (for my rectangular dish, that’s three lasagna noodles). Boil just until the pasta is flexible (about three minutes for no-boil lasagna). Using tongs, transfer the pasta to a bowl of cold water, then drain on a clean dish towel.

4.Spread a very thin layer of béchamel over the bottom of the dish. Cover with a layer of pasta. Stir the asparagus into the remaining béchamel, and spread a layer over the noodles. Sprinkle on 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Parboil another layer’s worth of pasta, and top with the asparagus béchamel, then with another 2 tablespoons of Parmesan. Repeat with one more layer. End with a layer of pasta, and if you have any béchamel left, spread it over the top and sprinkle on the remaining Parmesan. Cover tightly with plastic if storing in the refrigerator.

5.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the lasagna, and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 30 minutes until bubbling. Uncover, and continue to bake until the top just begins to color, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, allow to sit five to 10 minutes, and serve.

Yield:Serves six.

Advance preparation:You can make this up to a day or two before you bake it. Don’t drizzle on the last tablespoon of olive oil until you’re ready to bake. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate. Remove the plastic, and replace with foil before baking.

Nutritional information per serving:305calories; 9 grams fat; 3 gramssaturated fat; 15 milligramscholesterol; 40 gramscarbohydrates; 4 gramsdietary fiber; 212 milligrams sodium (does not include salt added during cooking); 16 grams protein

Martha Rose Shulman can be reached atmartha-rose-shulman.com.

Source

Q and A - Forward March! - Question

A.Vestibular input, the inner-ear mechanism that allows a child to sense where the body is to help balance on two feet, is needed to achieve walking, but other mechanisms are even more important, said Dr. Joseph J. Higgins, professor of pediatric neurology atNewYork-Presbyterian/Weill CornellKomansky Center for Children’s Health.“There are many reasons why children do not walk at age 3 to 4 months,” he said in an e-mail message.

“One reason is related to adult brain mass and the time it takes the nervous system to develop after conception,” Dr. Higgins added.“Walking onset in humans as compared with that in animals occurs no later than expected, given the mass of the adult human brain.”

Another reason walking is delayed is the need for the human brain to develop myelin after birth, Dr. Higgins said. Myelin, the fatty sheath that protects nerve fibers, is needed for the effective transmission of nerve impulses to the legs. As myelin develops, the child’s movements become more accurate. 

Readers are invited to submit questions by mail to Question, Science Times, The New York Times, 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018, or by e-mail to question@nytimes.com.

Source