Swiss Chard Ideas
I have some beautiful rainbow swiss chard growing in my garden and ready to harvest. And I have a ton of it. Besides giving some to friends/neighbours I was wondering if anyone had any recipe ideas....
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17 Comments:
I put some (blanched first) in lasagna last week and it was delish. It got me thinking that it could probably be used in place of kale for the kale chips from Gourmet that were all the rage last winter, but I havent tried it yet.
Embackus at 6:25PM on 07/02/09
like replacing the spinach in the ricotta? did you use only the leaves?
mrstkach at 6:30PM on 07/02/09
yes, you can replace the spinach with chard in lasagna, it's very good. i saute it with lots of garlic & olive oil and toss it with pasta .... make a potato soup and throw the chopped chard in at the end.... (like the portuguese and kale soup) ...or in white bean salad - blanch the chard first and add some toasted garlic and olive oil that you toasted it in as your dressing...
make a chard spanikopita - i've never done it - but i'm sure it would be pretty tasty.
good luck with your abundance of chard - you can probably blanch and freeze it for winter!
pooch at 6:36PM on 07/02/09
this might be a bit heavy for summer, but I love braised chard with lentils and garlic sausage (served with a red wine reduction).
AnnieNT at 6:37PM on 07/02/09
@mrs katch, exactly. I also sliced up the ribs into 1/2 inch pieces and sauteed them with garlic and threw those in too.
Embackus at 6:53PM on 07/02/09
Italian Wedding Soup
8 servings Prep plus cooking time: 45 min.
1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. ground pork
3 qts. chicken stock
1 lb. swiss chard, stalks and veins removed, coarsely chopped
2 small yellow onions
2 medium carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 eggs
2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup De Cecco® stellette #75 pasta or similar
1 slice white bread, crust trimmed and torn into small pieces
salt & fresh ground pepper
Equipment
6–8 qt. stockpot or dutch oven
box grater
Coarsely grate one onion on a box grater. Dice the other onion and reserve separately. In a mixing bowl, stir together the grated onion, parsley, garlic, 1 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper, 1 egg, and the shredded bread. Add the beef, pork, and 1/2 cup parmesan. Mix well with your hands, and form into 1” meatballs.
In a large stockpot or dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Brown the meatballs, remove with a slotted spoon, and reserve. Pour off all but 3 tbsp. rendered fat and oil. Add the diced onion, carrot, and celery to the pot. Reduce heat to medium–low, cover, and cook 5–7 min., stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft but not browned.
Add the meatballs and the broth to the pot, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 min. Add in the escarole and stir in the pasta. Let simmer until pasta is al dente, 6 min.
Whisk the remaining egg with 1 tbsp. parmesan in a small bowl to blend. Stir the soup in a circular motion. Gradually drizzle the egg mixture into the moving soup, stirring gently with a fork to form thin strands of egg, 1 min. Taste the soup and adjust seasoning with salt & pepper.
Serve soup garnished with the remaining parmesan sprinkled on top.
salpico at 12:46AM on 07/03/09
The above recipe can be made with swiss chard or escarole. I indicated chard in the ingredient list, but referred to escarole in the cooking directions. Sorry for the goof, but both are interchangeable, and in the same quantities.
This is more of a hearty winter soup, but you could eat it anytime.
salpico at 12:51AM on 07/03/09
I did a baked polenta with a swiss chard, mushroom and goat cheese filling yesterday. It was wonderful!
Amandarama at 8:53AM on 07/03/09
everything sounds wonderful. thanks guys.
I think I'll definately do the wedding soup & lasagna - something to freeze.
last night I sauteed some with spinach from the garden, fresh oregeno, a chili, garlic, olives, a pinch of nutmeg & salt & pepper. Then tossed with rigatoni & ricotta. It was really good and fresh.
mrstkach at 11:25AM on 07/03/09
oh and @amandarama: I really want to get into polenta, but still haven't - tried it a few times and wasn't a fan, but I think I may have not had GOOD polenta. So, if you have any tips I'll try that too. Sounds rich.
mrstkach at 11:27AM on 07/03/09
You can also stuff the leaves like you would cabbage with vegetables, rice, meat if you like. Use a tomato-based or non-tomato-based braising liquid. I think they freeze, but I can't remember ever having done that, so I will defer to the experts. You probably will want to cut the rib out or at least shave it prior to stuffing. Chop and add the ribs or shavings to whatever veggies you're sauteing for the filling.
zucchini at 2:24PM on 07/03/09
@mrstkach - I use a fine grind of cornmeal, but you can use coarse too. I like the texture of the fine better in the finished product. I make a slurry of 1 cup of fine cornmeal to 1 cup of whatever liquid I am using to cook the polenta. Then I bring another 3 cups of liquid to a boil. Whisk the cornmeal slurry into the boiling liquid. Reduce the mixture to a simmer while continuing to whisk. When the polenta has thickened to about that of cooked Cream of Wheat or grits, then it is done. Add cheese or butter or whatever to flavor it. For the baked polenta, I pour half the polenta into a greased 3 quart casserole. Then top with the sauteed swiss chard (1.5 lbs cooked down), garlic (4 cloves minced), mushrooms (12 oz. cooked down) and about 1/2 c. of goat cheese. Pour the remaining polenta over the filling and smooth the top. Grate 1/4 c. Parmesan over the top of the casserole and grind on some black pepper. Bake in a 400 degree oven until browned and bubbly (about 25 minutes). Let sit for 5 minutes before you cut into it. If you try it, let me know how it turns out!
Amandarama at 4:05PM on 07/03/09
There have been a couple of threads on this. I love chard wilted into a savoury sort of hash-type concoction. Some potatoes, diced and pan fried with sausage, tomato, beans (white or black), onion, garlic, worchestershire, some nutmeg (the barest hint), chili flakes, whatever floats your boat. I think the unctuousness of the fat from sausage and the creaminess of the beans works well with the slight bitter from the chard.
BananaMonkey at 7:17AM on 07/04/09
I love swiss chard sauteed with onions, hydrated raisins, a pinch of red chili flakes and a bit of balsamic vinegar. Wash the chard, chop, but leave a bit of the water on the leaves. Sautee the onions first in olive oil until they are caramelized, add the raisins that have been soaked in hot water for 30 minutes or so, add the chard and wilt, salt, pepper, and chili flakes next, then sprinkle the whole thing with a bit of balsamic and let is sizzle for 30 seconds or so. Delicious.
MollyAbuDhabi at 1:58PM on 07/05/09
Roast it!
I love this recipe that I got from Beyond Salmon...
For 1 lb swiss chard
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp heavy cream
1/4 cup finely grated parmesan
Salt and Pepper
Preheat the oven to 400F.
Pull the stems out of each leaf and cut stems into 1/2 inch chunks. Dry the leaves. Put the stems in a 2 inch deep baking dish that is large enough to accommodate all the chard leaves later. Drizzle with 1 Tbsp olive oil. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and mix well. Roast in the middle of the oven until the stems are tender and golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Pile the leaves on top of the stems. Drizzle with remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil. Toss with tongs and return to the oven. Roast until the greens wilt, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cream, taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Sprinkle with parmesan and return to the oven until cream is bubbly and parmesan is melted.
This is so good...sometimes I add a bit of garlic or shallot to the stems, as well.
sammie at 11:19AM on 07/07/09
one of my favorites...
Whole-Wheat Spaghetti with Swiss Chard and Pecorino CheeseRecipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
Show: Everyday ItalianEpisode: The Lighter Side of Italian
RECIPE COMMENTS & REVIEWS(190) Cook Time20 min
Level
Easy
Yield
4 servings
CloseTimes:Prep20 min Inactive Prep-- Cook20 min Total:40 min Recipe Tools:
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Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
2 bunches Swiss chard, trimmed and chopped (about 14 cups)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juices
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper
8 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti
1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons freshly grated Pecorino cheese
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
Directions
Heat the oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 8 minutes. Add the chard and saute until it wilts, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes with their juices, wine, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer until the tomatoes begin to break down and the chard is very tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Season the chard mixture, to taste, with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring frequently, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the spaghetti. Add the spaghetti to the chard mixture and toss to combine.
Transfer the pasta to serving bowls. Sprinkle the olives, cheese, and pine nuts and serve.
Recommended Wine: 2001 Clerico Trevigne
Origin: Alba, Piedmont
Grape: Barbera
Wine Notes: This wine is from the north in the Piedmont region of Italy. I
chose a Barbera because I needed a wine to to stand up to the bitterness of the swiss chard and the strong taste of the pecorino cheese. This wine's texture is smooth and the color is a dark ruby red. Its bouquet is scorched earth and blackberries with a kiss of oak. The pasta's flavors do not fight with the taste of the wine but is an explosion of flavor every time you take a bite of spaghetti or a sip of wine.
ndrewry at 7:59PM on 07/15/09
i also love to saute some onions garlic and bacon with a bunch of chard. add a few dashes of red wine vinegar then salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste. saute till chard is soft and wilted. easy and yummy!
ndrewry at 8:00PM on 07/15/09