hake + swiss chard in bacon tomato sauce

It's summer, but it's been looking like rain all day. I came home and was actually freezing, which is bizarre considering it was 90 degrees earlier last week.

Anyway, it called for comfort food, AKA this veggie-packed bowl of goodness. We picked up all these goodies at Whole Foods and the Boston Public Market last week when my friend came over and made dinner; I froze the hake and bacon until now so they'd stay fresh.

Not only is this meal great for when you want to impress your friends and cook something they probably haven't had before, but it's also fantastic for when you come home after a long day of work and want something warm and nourishing but not heavy.

Grain free, gluten free, and dairy free, but full of flavor flavor, this is a dinner I'll definitely be making on repeat. Enjoy!

Hake + Swiss Chard in Bacon Tomato Sauce

serves 3 | time: 30 minutes | paleo

Ingredients

• 1 lb hake, cut into pieces the size of your palm (I got mine from Red's Best at the Boston Public Market)
• 8 oz pureed tomatoes (check to make there's nothing other than tomatoes in there!)
• 1 bunch Swiss chard (you can use rainbow, red, yellow, whatever. I got mine from Stillman's Farm at the Boston Public Market)
• 1 strip sugar-free bacon, chopped
• 1 bunch basil, stems removed and coarsely chopped
• 1/2 onion, minced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp olive oil, for frying
• Sea salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, rosemary, oregano for seasoning

Directions

1. In a large pan, heat up 1 tbsp olive oil. When the oil is hot, add onions and garlic. Sauté on medium heat until golden brown.
2. Add the Swiss chard and continue to sauté.
3. Add the tomato puree and the seasoning. Mix and turn the heat down to low.
4. In a separate pan, fry the bacon. Once it's crispy, add to the pan with the tomato and veggies.
5. Season both sides of the hake with sea salt and pepper.
6. In the same pan as the bacon, cook the hake on medium heat until both sides are golden brown and the insides are cooked through (about 5 minutes). It should flake easily upon touching.
7. In a bowl, combine the basil and the tomato puree and top with the hake. Add sea salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes if desired.

Note: this would go great with pasta or polenta and a glass of white wine.

As as a bonus — look who my dinner companion was! My roommate was babysitting (well, dog-sitting) a yellow lab named Gandalf and he was the absolute cutest.