A Petite Education: Chard
This is the first entry in the new "food" section I mentioned starting a bit ago. Let me just begin by stating that I have no experience or education in the culinary field and I by no means intend to teach anyone anything life changing. I simply would like to share some unique foods that you may have never tried, fun new ways to cook the foods you already like, and perhaps share a few food related lessons I have learned over the years.
Today, let’s talk chard. Chard (Beta vulgaris var. cicla), also known as Swiss Chard, Silverbeet, Crab Beet, Seakale Beet and Mangold is a leafy vegetable with shiny green ribbed leaves and stems that range from white to yellow and red. It has a slightly bitter taste and is much more palatable if it is cooked or sautéed; the bitterness fades with cooking, leaving a much sweeter, refined flavor.
You can purchase chard leaves at your local farmers market or in the fresh produce section of your grocery store for about $1.75 a bunch. Once you get the chard home, rinse the leaves in cool water, trim off the bottom couple inches of stem and store leaves in either a lettuce bag or a plastic bag for up to 5 days. Chard is quite perishable so try to use it as soon as possible after purchase.
So now that you have the chard what the hell are you supposed to do with it, and what is it going to do for you? First, what is chard going to do for you? Swiss chard is packed with nutrition. It is an excellent source of vitamins C, E, and K, carotenes, chlorophyll, and fiber. It is also an excellent source of several minerals including potassium, magnesium, iron, and manganese. Swiss chard is also a good source of many other nutrients including vitamin B6, protein, calcium, thiamine, selenium, zinc, niacin, and folic acid. It is also one of the most powerful anti-cancer foods due to its combination of traditional nutrients; phytochemicals, chlorophyll, other plant pigments, and soluble fiber. The generous amount of vitamin K that is contained in Swiss chard is especially beneficial in the maintenance of bone health (everynutrient.com). Sounds good right… now, what to do with it.
My favorite thing to do with chard is cut it into 1 inch pieces and toss it into soups during the last 10 minutes of simmering. It adds a unique texture and flavor that other vegetables can’t. You can also add it to pasta dishes like pasta primavera or lasagna. If you are the adventurous type, you can eat it on its own by cutting the leaves into ½ inch pieces and either blanching it for about 5 minutes in salted boiling water or sautéing it with one tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet until wilted, about 8 minutes. Oh, the possibilities are endless! If you are neither a soup eater, pasta eater, or the adventurous type, here are a few recipes to try.
Sautéed Swiss Chard with Parmesan Cheese
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 small red onion, diced
• 1 bunch Swiss chard, stems and center ribs cut out and chopped together, leaves coarsely chopped separately
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• salt to taste (optional
Method
Melt butter and olive oil together in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the garlic and onion, and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the chard stems and the white wine. Simmer until the stems begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chard leaves, and cook until wilted. Finally, stir in lemon juice and Parmesan cheese; season to taste with salt if needed. (Source: allrecepies.com)
Spicy Swiss Chard (this is my recipe)
• 1 large bunch of fresh Swiss chard
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp water
• Pinch of dried crushed red pepper (more if you like it spicy)
• 1 teaspoon butter
• Salt
Method
1 Rinse Swiss chard leaves thoroughly. Remove the toughest third of the stalk and discard. Roughly chop the leaves into inch-wide strips.
2 Heat saucepan to medium heat, add olive oil, garlic and crushed red pepper. Sauté for about a minute, until garlic starts to smell, add the chopped Swiss chard leaves. Cover. Rotate leaves after about 5 minutes and if it looks dry, add a couple tablespoons of water. Cover again. Check for doneness* after another 5 minutes.*chard is done when it is fully wilted, juicy and tender to the tooth. Add salt to taste and finish with butter. Mmmmm
Ok, so now that you know a bit about chard, go out and try it! What do you have to loose? Fine, I suppose if you hate it you would have lost about $3.00 so to offset the cost, skip Starbucks or the drive thru today, you’ll thank me later. One more tidbit, if you are lucky enough to have carrera marble countertops, beware. Like beets, red chard WILL STAIN your countertop and then you will blame me and hunt me down and not only make me reimburse you the $3.00 but also replace your countertops.
Today, let’s talk chard. Chard (Beta vulgaris var. cicla), also known as Swiss Chard, Silverbeet, Crab Beet, Seakale Beet and Mangold is a leafy vegetable with shiny green ribbed leaves and stems that range from white to yellow and red. It has a slightly bitter taste and is much more palatable if it is cooked or sautéed; the bitterness fades with cooking, leaving a much sweeter, refined flavor.
You can purchase chard leaves at your local farmers market or in the fresh produce section of your grocery store for about $1.75 a bunch. Once you get the chard home, rinse the leaves in cool water, trim off the bottom couple inches of stem and store leaves in either a lettuce bag or a plastic bag for up to 5 days. Chard is quite perishable so try to use it as soon as possible after purchase.
So now that you have the chard what the hell are you supposed to do with it, and what is it going to do for you? First, what is chard going to do for you? Swiss chard is packed with nutrition. It is an excellent source of vitamins C, E, and K, carotenes, chlorophyll, and fiber. It is also an excellent source of several minerals including potassium, magnesium, iron, and manganese. Swiss chard is also a good source of many other nutrients including vitamin B6, protein, calcium, thiamine, selenium, zinc, niacin, and folic acid. It is also one of the most powerful anti-cancer foods due to its combination of traditional nutrients; phytochemicals, chlorophyll, other plant pigments, and soluble fiber. The generous amount of vitamin K that is contained in Swiss chard is especially beneficial in the maintenance of bone health (everynutrient.com). Sounds good right… now, what to do with it.
My favorite thing to do with chard is cut it into 1 inch pieces and toss it into soups during the last 10 minutes of simmering. It adds a unique texture and flavor that other vegetables can’t. You can also add it to pasta dishes like pasta primavera or lasagna. If you are the adventurous type, you can eat it on its own by cutting the leaves into ½ inch pieces and either blanching it for about 5 minutes in salted boiling water or sautéing it with one tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet until wilted, about 8 minutes. Oh, the possibilities are endless! If you are neither a soup eater, pasta eater, or the adventurous type, here are a few recipes to try.
Sautéed Swiss Chard with Parmesan Cheese
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 small red onion, diced
• 1 bunch Swiss chard, stems and center ribs cut out and chopped together, leaves coarsely chopped separately
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• salt to taste (optional
Method
Melt butter and olive oil together in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the garlic and onion, and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the chard stems and the white wine. Simmer until the stems begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chard leaves, and cook until wilted. Finally, stir in lemon juice and Parmesan cheese; season to taste with salt if needed. (Source: allrecepies.com)
Spicy Swiss Chard (this is my recipe)
• 1 large bunch of fresh Swiss chard
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp water
• Pinch of dried crushed red pepper (more if you like it spicy)
• 1 teaspoon butter
• Salt
Method
1 Rinse Swiss chard leaves thoroughly. Remove the toughest third of the stalk and discard. Roughly chop the leaves into inch-wide strips.
2 Heat saucepan to medium heat, add olive oil, garlic and crushed red pepper. Sauté for about a minute, until garlic starts to smell, add the chopped Swiss chard leaves. Cover. Rotate leaves after about 5 minutes and if it looks dry, add a couple tablespoons of water. Cover again. Check for doneness* after another 5 minutes.*chard is done when it is fully wilted, juicy and tender to the tooth. Add salt to taste and finish with butter. Mmmmm
Ok, so now that you know a bit about chard, go out and try it! What do you have to loose? Fine, I suppose if you hate it you would have lost about $3.00 so to offset the cost, skip Starbucks or the drive thru today, you’ll thank me later. One more tidbit, if you are lucky enough to have carrera marble countertops, beware. Like beets, red chard WILL STAIN your countertop and then you will blame me and hunt me down and not only make me reimburse you the $3.00 but also replace your countertops.
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