Both our parents worked, so there was no veggie garden in the back yard and the only farmers' market nearby was the Japanese market on the way to the beach where we would buy strawberries in the spring and corn during summer. And, of course, we had those country green beans that were cooked all day. Yum! But chard? What was that?
I didn't know anything about chard until a few years ago and I didn't eat it until last week. What can I say? I was a deprived child! I don't have chard in my garden yet, but when it's time to plant cool weather veggies in the Growing Dome, you can bet I will. Kale is growing in the dome right now, but kale is for another post.
Anyway, the rainbow chard at the healthy foods market in Taos was so pretty I bought some. MBB eats that stuff all the time and I hate when my kid is one up on me, and it is well known that chard is a nutritional powerhouse full of antioxidants and vitamins, so sign me up.
Plus, isn't this chard pretty?
It reminds me of spinach, so after reading around a bit and also remembering how my dad made our canned spinach palatable by adding a few drops of vinegar, I came up with this recipe.
Sauteed Chard With Garlic and Balsamic Vinegar
Ingredients
2 T olive oil
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 washed bunch of chard, leaves stripped from the stalks, cut into wide strips (I chopped the stalks to use for soup)
2 T balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil.
2. When the olive oil is shimmery, add the chard.
3. Using tongs to turn the chard in the pan, cook for about five minutes until the chard is almost wilted. Add the chopped garlic to the pan.
Below is the garlic in my favorite chopper, the Garlic Zoom. The photo after that shows the chard and garlic hanging out.
4. Once you've added the garlic, cook for a minute or two more and then add the balsamic vinegar. Toss it around so the chard is coated with the vinegar. (Don't cook too long or the chard will look like elephant snot.) Add some salt and pepper to taste.
And that's it!
Optional: Toast a couple tablespoons of pine nuts and sprinkle them on top.
I can't believe how much I liked chard after eating this! What in the world was I waiting for?
Chard is a staple in our house. It's actually one of the veggies that Ori will eat on a regular basis. We do a similar recipe but replace the vinegar with a bit of fresh squeezed lemon or orange juice. Oh, and a squirt of Bragg's instead of salt. Sauteing it with garlic and putting it on pizza under the cheese is a good way to make pizza healthy and is super yummy too!
ReplyDeleteLoved the post. It is so pretty!
This sounded so delicious that I had to try it on some other greens and lettuces we had in the crispers. It will become part of our MUST HAVE dressings. Thank you so much for this!
ReplyDeleteI'm still reading through the earlier posts but so far it's been a great read!
Swiss Chard is great in scrambled eggs also, I saute it first then pour the beaten eggs into the pan and continue cooking.
ReplyDelete