Chard Rolls with Carrot and Cheddar Béchamel

The idea of steamed chard rolls came to me when two other legendary recipes crossed my mind almost at the same time — Swiss capuns and Italian vertical lasagna. Gently steamed broad chard leaves seemed an excellent candidate to substitute the pasta sheets. And then there were lovely young carrots I could use to flavor bechamel, along with garlic and cheddar.

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Step 1

Wash, trim, and gently steam chard leaves. Gently means for a few seconds, to soften them. Do not overcook them! Let them cool to the room temperature layered flat.

Step 2

Meanwhile, start making the bechamel. In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat, add flour, stir and cook for a minute until it smells like cookies. Add a third of the milk and stir. Let it thicken. Add more milk gradually, stirring, and bring to simmer. Let bechamel slowly cook over low heat.

Step 3

Meanwhile, grate the carrots.

Step 4

Add grated carrots to the bechamel, stir, and continue cooking over low heat. Peel and puree the garlic and add it to the bechamel. Season the sauce with salt and freshly grated black pepper. Let it slowly cook for 10 minutes. When done, add Cheddar cheese and stir until it is melted and evenly mixed with other ingredients. Check the seasoning and adjust to your taste.

Step 5

Divide the sauce into 8 equal portions and spread them on 8 steamed chard leaves. Fold each leaf along the central stem and roll.

Step 6

Place the rolls vertically stem side down on the plate and serve sprinkled with microgreens and edible flowers if you are lucky to get them!

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