swiss chard sauté

Rainbow chard is one of nature’s great works of art. You could arrange the stems in a vase, set them on a table, and admire them all day. But that would be a shameful waste, because unlike daisies or carnations, they’re very tasty, and super nutritious as well. What’s more, Swiss chard is like getting two vegetables in one. Unlike some leafy vegetables that are better with their stems discarded—think kale—the beautiful stems of the chard are totally edible and totally delicious. You get a plate full of sweet leafy greens and lots of crunchy tender pieces of vegetable goodness. And unlike many other greens that have a bitter component (which is not necessarily a bad thing), they’re sweet and delicate in flavor. Even my mother liked them. (I found out in my adulthood that she only ate vegetables so that my brother and I would eat them.)

Another great thing about Swiss Chard, in any color, is that it’s very easy and very fast to prepare.

Because the leaves cook faster than the stems, you’ll want to cook them in separately.

Here’s how:

When you buy Swiss chard, check that the leaves look fresh and not wilted, and the stems are firm and not turning brown.

Ingredients:

• Swiss Chard—green, red, or rainbow—as much as you want

• extra virgin olive oil or nut oil such as walnut or hazelnut—as much as you need

• fresh garlic, minced or pressed, as much as you like. (I like a lot)

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Optional:

• thinly sliced onions (half moons)

• balsamic vinegar

• coarsely chopped pecans, hazelnuts, walnuts, or chestnuts

• Aleppo pepper or red pepper flakes

• Sicilian style—raisins and pignolis (use olive oil)

Whether you make this in its simplest form or add all the bells and whistles, your chard will be delicious.

Method:

• Cut or tear the leaves off the stems, and cut or tear the leaves into bite sized pieces.

• Trim away the ends of the stalks and slice them on the bias into ½ inch long pieces. If the stems are very wide, you can slice them in half down their length.

• Optional: If you plan to use nuts as a garnish, you can add this step—Heat a large skillet and add the nuts. Toss them about for a minute or two to toast them and bring out their flavor. Then remove them from the pan and set them aside.

• To your large skillet, add a glug of oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions if using, and sauté them until they’re translucent and beginning to color. Then add the garlic. If you’re not using onions, just add the garlic to the skillet when the oil is heated.

• Give it a quick stir, then add the slices of chard stems and give them a light sprinkling of salt.

• Sauté the stems until tender, and then add the torn leaves. Give them another light sprinkling of salt and a few grinds of the pepper mill.

• Toss the leaves and stems with the help of a large spoon or tongs until the leaves are just wilted. This will only take a couple of minutes.

• You can now transfer the chard to a nice serving dish and bring it to the table.

Or …

• Add a splash of balsamic vinegar and toss it all together.

• Then add whatever extras you’d like to use. Toss it all together, reserving a bit to sprinkle over the top.