Rainbow Swiss Chard
The other day I stopped into Wegmans for some rainbow trout and rapini. Wegmans isn't generally my first choice, but if you're looking for fresh veg and meat, it's one of the only one stop shops in town.
I digress.
After selecting my trout I moved on to the produce department, packed with slightly frantic after-work shoppers. There, next to the rapini, stood a luscious bundle of organic rainbow swiss chard, boasting it's outrageously glorious coloring like a proud peacock. How could I consider the (albeit delicious) rapini when compared with this breathtaking bounty.
According to the not always reliable Wikipedia, swiss chard was thus named to differentiate it from French chardon (also known as cardoons). It is a vegetable used frequently in Mediterranean cooking and offers a wealth of vitamins and nutrients in a single serving.
Swiss chard comes in a number of varieties and is a relative of the beet. When young it can be eaten raw, but as it matures, its tough texture requires more handling. On this occasion I prepared it using as a simple saute, but in the cool of fall and winter, it is an ideal addition to soups.
The stems of the chard leaf require a little par-boiling for tenderness. Chop the stem into 1 “ pieces and boil them in salted water until tender (not mushy). Wash the leaves (look for grit caught in the folds) and pat dry. Chiffonade. (Chiffonade is a simple technique employed for the purpose of cutting leafy vegetables and herbs. I've included a link to a visual demonstration of the task.) Add the chard to the boiling water for 1 minute. Drain throughly. In your saute pan, add olive oil, and a clove or two of smashed garlic (big enough that you can remove it before serving). Saute until the leaves soften and turn a deep green. Season with sea salt and pepper.
Please keep in mind that swiss chard is like spinach in the sense that it cooks down easily. Though it may look like a lot, using the entire bunch of chard is required to serve a decent portion to four.
Wegmans, 601 Amherst, 14207, 877.0500, call for hours
photo by Christa Glennie Seychew
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rdominguez
I love rainbow swiss chard too! Very nice heads-up about the grit... I've found is that swiss chard often requires a more thorough scrubbing than other comparable greens. Gritty rainbow swiss chard does much for the eyes but little for the palate...
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dougk
christa - you articles are a joy to read, your passion is obvious, thanks!
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ChristaSeychew
dougk-
I love it when readers are interested enough in YUM! to leave a comment- even if they aren't always nice. I have enjoyed how engaged you have been in a number of posts in the last week or so. Thank you so much for the compliment, and even more for your readership!
Bests- Christa
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