Much of what we read about chard pertains to winter. So many recipes show up in February or even earlier, on Thanksgiving menus. Chard is a relative of the beet (but nutrients are concentrated in the leaves rather than the root, which is inedible) and beets seem winter-ish.
But in our CSA pick-up yesterday, we got a beautiful bunch of rainbow chard with electric pink, yellow, and orange stems. How summery does that look? Read on for some recipes...
Chard and swiss chard are interchangeable names for this vegetable; the rainbow comes in when the stalks are grown to be red or other colors. It has a slightly bitter taste, which it's best to cook it rather than eat it raw (although if the leaves are young and tender, you may enjoy it in a salad).
One tip we learned when gathering these recipes is that if you are sautéeing chard, separate the stalks from the leaves and begin cooking the stalks first. They take longer.
Chard recipes from the Kitchn archives:
Chard around the web:
Related: Seasonal Recipe Spotlight: Swiss Chard
(Images: Elizabeth Passarella)
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I wanted to share one of my all-time favorite chard recipes: http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/001882swiss_chard_tzatziki_yogurt_dip.php (it's from Simply Recipes). Our garden is overflowing with chard right now, so I think I need to whip up a batch!
view jora's profile
Swiss chard is also very nutritious, providing many more nutrients than say, lettuce.
I use swiss chard in sandwiches, put it into my salads, or sautee them for use in stir fries or just by itself. It's a pretty versatile vegetable, and looks fantastic in presentation when you use the Rainbow chard.
view crazykj's profile
Yum, I love chard! I was very surprised to see it at our VT farmer's market last week... I too only thought of it as a fall green. My favorite recipe is the vegetarian tacos with chard, onions and fresh cheese from Rick Bayless' "Mexican Everyday."
view SisterRae's profile
Chard is my favorite green, and I eat it all winter. In the summer though I'm not so excited about sauteing it and eating it hot. Any recipes that involve chilled chard or some other salady thing? (other than the obvious cold sauteed chard?)
view Eliza's profile
Eliza- I've seen a few recipes for chard pesto. Maybe that would be good? Not exactly chilled, but not hot or sauteed, either. I think I'd blanch the chard before I blended it with the nuts and parmesan. Could be good cold over pasta...
view Elizabeth P's profile
For the low-carb folks, or people wanting to try something new, chard leaves are big enough to serve as wraps. And you can always use more than one if you need more coverage.
view mydogisarobot's profile