Chard cakes with sorrel sauce

The cheese I use in these splendid cakes is kashkaval, of which there are different regional varieties all over the Balkans. There is also an Italian version called caciocavallo. Kashkaval is normally made from sheep’s milk and has a tangy yet nutty flavor. You can get it from Arab or Turkish grocers. Choose a strong and less industrialized variety. If you can’t get it, replace with mature pecorino. You don’t necessarily have to make the sauce as the cakes work perfectly well accompanied with just a wedge of lemon. Still, if you choose to make it (and I can’t recommend it enough) you’ll be able to keep it in the fridge for a day or two and serve it with a million other things - roasted root vegetables, hearty lentils, red meat and oily fish.

Sauce
• 3 cups sorrel leaves, washed
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
• salt

• 1 1/4 lbs Swiss chard
• 1/3 cup pine nuts
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 oz kashkaval cheese, coarsely grated
• 1 egg
• 6 tbsp dried white breadcrumbs
• 1/4 tsp salt
• black pepper
• half-and-half vegetable oil and olive oil for frying

• To make the sauce. Place all the ingredients in a food processor or a blender and blitz to a fine bright-green sauce. Taste and adjust the amount of salt. Keep in the fridge until needed.
• Cut the woody white stalks from the green chard leaves. Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Add the stalks and simmer for 4 minutes. Then add the leaves, stir and continue simmering for 3 minutes. Drain the chard and allow to cool down slightly. Once cool enough to handle, squeeze as much water out of the chard as possible. You need to use both hands and be quite forceful to do this. Next, chop the leaves and stalks roughly and put in a mixing bowl.
• In a small pan fry the pine nuts in the tablespoon of olive oil for 1 minute, or until light brown (watch out; they darken in seconds). Add the nuts and oil to the chard, followed by the cheese, egg, breadcrumbs, salt and some pepper. If the mix is very soft and sticky you might need to add more crumbs.
• Pour enough frying oil into a frying pan to come 1/4 inch up the sides. Shape the chard mix into eight patties that are roughly 2 inches in diameter and 58 inch thick. Fry them for about 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Transfer onto paper towels to absorb the oil. Serve warm or at room temperature, with the sauce on the side.

Serves 4 as a starter