Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Rainbow Chard

I saw Rainbow Chard for the first time in real life a few weeks ago, at our local Organic Farm, so I bought it right away to try.  I've never had any kind of chard, but the Internet came to the rescue in my recipe search.  I basically sauteed it with a bit of butter, olive oil, shallots, and salt and pepper.  (I was out of garlic, fresh basil, pine nuts, AND Parmesan, like the original recipe called for- ha ha ha!!)  Greens like this wilt down and reduce in size drastically when cooked.  It looks like they won't all fit in the pan, but they will get much smaller- especially if you partially cover the skillet with a lid so the steam helps it out a bit. 
Sautéed Rainbow Chard
Loosely adapted from Fine Cooking

1 large bunch Rainbow Chard (13-16 oz)
1/2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 Tbs. butter
kosher salt
1 shallot, thinly sliced

1.  Pull or cut the stems from the chard leaves. Here is a vid on how to stem them.  Cut or rip the leaves into 1- to 2-inch pieces and wash and dry them well. Rinse the stems and slice them crosswise 1/4 inch thick.

2.  In a 12-inch nonstick stir-fry pan or skillet, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat.  Return the pan to medium-high heat, add the chard stems and a pinch of salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until shrunken and beginning to brown lightly, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the shallot and cook just until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add the chard leaves and 1/4 tsp. salt. For faster wilting, cover the skillet with a lid.  Toss with tongs until just wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. (If using a skillet, you may need to add the chard in batches, letting the first batch wilt before adding more.) Remove the pan from the heat, and serve immediately. 
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