Riddle Me This...

 The word riddle has two meanings

1. from Old English rædel  meaning anything which puzzles or perplexes
2. from Middle English ridelle which means sieve

I was genuinely puzzled by the abundant crop of rainbow chard which was flourishing in the Raised Bed when we got back from Steph's. How did it get to be so rich and vibrant so quickly? And how should I cook it? Nigel Slater's Kitchen Diaries #3 listed a recipe for chard with caramelised onions and sultanas. I checked out the ingredients list - chard, oil, butter, onions, sultanas, lemon zest and pumpkin seeds. I had everything except the seeds.

 

No, wait!" I did have seeds. My big jar of Omega Seeds from Grape Tree contains sunflower, golden linseed, brown linseed and pumpkin.  I fling this stuff into my muesli, flapjacks, and bread, and sprinkle it on salads, to add extra nutrition to my diet. [Hugh and Jamie would be pleased with me, I'm sure] The recipe calls for 3 tbsp. 

Riddle; how do you sort out the pumpkin seeds from the rest?

Answer; You riddle it!

I sieved spoonfuls of the seeds into a bowl, the linseeds, and smaller sunflower seeds fell quickly through the holes in my draining spoon. I very quickly had my 3 tbsp of pumpkin seeds. Nigel calls this a light lunch for 2 [Bob says NS refers to almost everything as a light lunch or light supper!]

 

Photo from the book, because we ate the meal and I forgot to take a pic. But the rainbow chard looked so colourful. I served it with some cold sliced chicken. The sultanas were surprisingly plump and juicy, and the seeds gave an extra crunch. Bob commented on the delicious sweetness of the onions.

Here's the recipe from the book

Chard with caramelised onions and sultanas

[onions, sultanas or raisins, pumpkin seeds, lemon, rainbow chard]

Peel and slice a couple of small onions, soften them in a shallow pan with 2 tbsp olive oil and a thin slice of butter. When they are starting to brown a little round the edges, add 3tbsp sultanas [or raisins] and the same of pumpkin seeds. Let the fruit plump up a little. A salt and finely grated zest of ½ a lemon. 

Wash 4 handfuls [about 100g] of chard, put it into a separate pan with a shallow film of water, cover with a lid and steam for a minute or so. As soon as the leaves have wilted and the colour is still bright, cover and transfer to plates. Scatter over the onion mixture and serve. Serves 2 as light lunch or side dish.

George and Jacob are very keen on riddles at the minute. The most popular one last week was on the side of a squeezy yogurt tube.