Swiss Chard

[purplewiz]

I love chard - sadly, so do the deer. They ate it before even the lettuce, which they adore.

Fortunately, the market carries it.

I like to separate the leaves from the stems, dice the stems, and simmer the stems only for about 10 minutes, then add the leaves. I simmer until the leaves are tender, then let the water simmer away, until it's as dry as possible, but no drier. Add a tbsp or so of heavy cream, and 2 tbsp of grated parmesan, and you have stove top Chard Alfredo. It's a great side dish.

Marcia.

[helenas]

The Turks use Swiss chard as a wrap for meat and grains. Green wheat or bulgur with lamb and pinenuts is a famous dish in Gaziantep in the south.

Paula, this sounds amazing - i'm ordering freekeh right away

And this thread made me think about some technique i learned from Clifford Wright's Little Foods of the Mediterranean - 'zeytinyagli' - cooking in olive oil. Sounds like chard stacks are natural for this right?

[Placebo]

I like chard sauteed in olive oil with crushed garlic, a pi8nch of crushed red pepper, some chanterelles and some slivered almonds.

[Wolfert]

The Turks use Swiss chard as a wrap for meat and grains. Green wheat or bulgur with lamb and pinenuts is a famous dish in Gaziantep in the south.QUOTE

Paula, this sounds amazing - i'm ordering freekeh right away 

I think it is an ingenious method. You steam stuffed triangles of chard leaves over a bed of lamb bones and chard stems and you produce a sensational looking dish as well as one that is very delicous.

You can oil your colander then set the triangles in an attractive pattern along with some strips of sweet red pepper and garlic cloves. Mind you, it is a labor intensive dish.

This picture was taken in Gaziantep, Turkey in a private home. I hope you can see the pattern clearly.

.

Edited February 3, 2005 by Wolfert (log)

[Adam Balic]

That looks great Paula. Does the flavour of the lamb come through via the steaming or are lamb bone/chard stems liquid form the basis for a sauce?

[Wolfert]

In a deep roomy pot, the bones of lamb neck are slowly browned in a little oil. A simple stock is made and when full flavored, the stalks of chard are scattered on top. The filled colander is set inside the pot and covered and the pot is covered as well. After steaming about 30 minutes. The heat is turned off but both covers are left intact for at least 20 minutes. (All stuffed leaves are much better if this extra step is done before serving.)

Then the remaining juices are strained, defatted, reduced if necessary, seasoned with salt and pepper and lemon juice. The dish is served with a yogurt garlic sauce.

[Priscilla]

Paula would you elaborate on the stuffing of the leaves? This dish looks so good.

I always feel like I can see better after eating Swiss chard.

Cooked with the water remaining on its leaves after rinsing + a little salt, Swiss chard makes a fabulous salad, dressed with lemon and olive oil, salt & pepper. In Venice I have had this simple preparation, with a tiny stream of that very mild white wine vinegar they have there poured over. So good.

At one local farmer's market there was a guy who grew the variety with the skinny stems -- exceptional in the aforementioned salad. But much more often I've made it with the leaves of regular, which has the benefit of leaving the ribs for gratinating, as others have described.

[Jinmyo]

In a deep roomy pot, the bones of lamb neck are slowly browned in a little oil.  A simple stock is made and when full flavored, the stalks of chard are scattered on top. The filled colander is set inside the pot and covered and the pot is covered as well. After steaming about 30 minutes. The heat is turned off but both covers are left intact for at least 20 minutes. (All stuffed leaves are much better if this extra step  is done before serving.)

Then the remaining juices are strained, defatted, reduced if necessary, seasoned with salt and pepper and lemon juice. The dish is served with a yogurt garlic sauce.

←

This reads like the beginning of a novel or a short story which draws one in... then with its ending points one to the kitchen.

[Wolfert]

Serves 6 as a main course

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a 10 inch skillet.

Add l cup chopped onion and cook, covered, over medium heat until softened but not browned.

Add l pound ground lamb or beef and saute until it is browned and crumbly. Add 1/4 cup pinenuts, l teaspoon or more mixed spices: cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, red and black pepper, and salt to taste.

Place 1 cup cracked green wheat in a sieve and shake over the sink to remove some of the grit and tiny stones. Place the sieve in a deep bowl and cover with cool water. Rub the cracked wheat kernels between your fingertips and palms vigorously to feel for stones or other foreign matter. Wash the wheat in several changes of water until the water runs clear and the kernels feel free of all grit.

Let soak 2 to 3 mniutes. Skim off and discard any debris that floats to the top. Drain the wheat and fold into the meat mixture, mixing well. Adjust the seasonig and set aside.

Rinse 3 pounds medium to large swiss chard leaves. Drain and dip leaves into simmering water until pliable, about 12 seconds, and refresh in a basin of cold water. Drain and gently press out excess moisture. Place the leaves, smooth side down and a few a time, on a work surface. Carefuly remove the stalks and reserve for the cooking. Remove the center rib from each leaf to divide each into irregular rectangles. Place a heaped teaspoon of filling near a narrow end, and wrap over and over as if folding a flag, forming a small triangle. Repeat with the remaining leaves and filling.

Julienne a stemmed and seeded red bell pepper and peel a dozen garlic cloves.

Arrange as shown in the picure. Follow the rest of the recipe as described up

thread.

Jimmyo..thanks so much for your kind words.

Edited February 3, 2005 by Wolfert (log)

[Priscilla]

Thank you so much, Paula. I want to prepare this for my friend whose husband is Turkish -- they will be thrilled.

What is the name of the dish?

Edited February 3, 2005 by Priscilla (log)

[Wolfert]

Great! Let us know how they liked it..

Be sure to state that the recipe is from Gaziantep, a city in southeastern Turkey.

[Hollaatme]

Swiss chard is my absolute favorite thing to grow! Spinach bolts as soon as it gets hot, but the swiss chard just keeps going and going and going...

Yes, just keep cutting leaves and it will keep growing more.

I grow one 8' row of chard each year and it gives as much chard as two of us can eat, all season long from before last frost in the spring to well after first frost in the fall (it is tolerant of cold and frost AND heat, you can't beat that).

Use it raw or cooked the same way you would spinach. Any recipe you would use spinach in, you can substitute swiss chard. I substitute chard in my spinach lasagne recipe and like it better than the original.

[heidih]

@Hollaatme Yes chard is a workhorse.  How kale got the superstar status eludes me. The rainbow stuff we grow for visitors as a border novelty but give me the plain green. I will never forget a neighbor kid bringing me some he proudly grew with his grandma - he assured me that just a smidge of butter made it out of this world. I prefer way more garlic than most find advisable.

[Katie Meadow]

Had no idea that swiss chard had its own thread. That's so sweet! I too use it as my go-to green for soups, lasagnes and even in a quick version of "collards"  sauteed with bacon and or ham broth, then last minute a drizzle of vinegar and Steen's. Like @heidih I prefer just the green chard; I find some of the reds and yellows have tougher leaves and a mixed bunch doesn't cook evenly. 

[Dante]

OK, I'm a weird weirdy, my default way of preparing chard is to chiffonade it, saute it for a  minute or so in veggie oil and butter with a tiny bit of sesame oil added, then hit it with a small sprinkle of umeboshi vinegar, let it cook until tender,  lightly dust it with some nutritional yeast, then toss it a bit to integrate the yeast, and serve. 

[heidih]

3 hours ago, Dante said:

OK, I'm a weird weirdy, my default way of preparing chard is to chiffonade it, saute it for a  minute or so in veggie oil and butter with a tiny bit of sesame oil added, then hit it with a small sprinkle of umeboshi vinegar, let it cook until tender,  lightly dust it with some nutritional yeast, then toss it a bit to integrate the yeast, and serve. 

 

That is not odd just a different taste and texture profile.  I am in except for sesame oil - way too much Korean food that I enjoy but also  need a break from. Do you remove the ribs? 

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Tonight, chard's kissing cousin, beet greens.    Stemmed and heavy vein removed.    Garlic/EVOO, garlic removed, greens wilted.

 

[heidih]

5 minutes ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

Tonight, chard's kissing cousin, beet greens.    Stemmed and heavy vein removed.    Garlic/EVOO, garlic removed, greens wilted.

 

 

Those were my treasures from local farm stand. Most people wanted them removed so the ladies gave them to me for free. Earthy but I am an earthy/bitter person.

[chromedome]

Beet greens are my very favorite. But really, I like all of the greens.

 

[gfweb]

The more bitter the better.  Soften it with bacon fat. 

[Dante]

On 3/1/2020 at 6:55 PM, heidih said:

 

That is not odd just a different taste and texture profile.  I am in except for sesame oil - way too much Korean food that I enjoy but also  need a break from. Do you remove the ribs? 

 

Thank you.

 

I do not, I just roll the leaves up together and slice. 

Edited March 3, 2020 by Dante (log)

[scubadoo97]

On 3/1/2020 at 6:56 PM, Margaret Pilgrim said:

Tonight, chard's kissing cousin, beet greens.    Stemmed and heavy vein removed.    Garlic/EVOO, garlic removed, greens wilted.

 

I often remove the stem and ribs but snack on them while preparing dinner

[shain]

Here's a recipe I haven't made in a long time, but I highly recommend.

 

Swiss chard with chickpeas/cowpeas (alt. preparation as a swiss chard omelette).

 

- 1/2 cup dry small chickpeas / black eyed peascowpeas , soaked overnight - or 1.5 cups canned

  - Alternatively, omit legumes and use 3 eggs for an omelette

- 800g chard, stems separated

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- 1 large onion, chopped

- Chopped fresh (or dried) chili pepper, to taste

- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced

- 1/2-1 tsp cumin powder

- 1/2 tsp paprika

- optional: 1 tbsp raisins (not in an omelette)

- 1 tsp sumac

- lemon juice, to taste

For serving:

- Cooked bulgur (best paring, IMO) or rice (I like it with whole round rice); or, if making an omelette, pita or other bread for sandwich making

- Tahini sauce and/or labneh / strained yogurt

- Sliced tomatoes

 

 

- Cook the chickpeas/cowpeas in salted water until tender, even if using canned, some further cooking is needed (to my taste). Drain well.

- Dice the chard stems.

- Saute the chard stems, onion and chili in olive oil until mostly tender and lightly colored.

- Chop the chard greens into medium-small pieces.

- Add to pot, along with cumin, paprika, garlic and raising (if used).

- Cook until tender.

- Add chickpeas/cowpeas, if using.

- Add sumac.

- Add salt and lemon to taste.

If serving as a stew:

- Heat well and serve over bulgur/rice.

- Drizzle tahini/labneh on top. Serve tomatoes on the side.

If making an omelette:

- Let cool slightly and mix in the eggs, along with a little more salt.

- Cook as an omelette/frittata.

- serve in pita/bread, with tahini/yogurt and tomato slices.