chardrecipes

Favorite Chard Recipe – Cream of Greens Soup

Everyone seems to be keen on chard this season, so I must reprint my favorite way to eat chard for
new members!

1 large bunch Swiss Chard
1 cup chopped onions or leeks
3 large potatoes, peeled and cut ½ inch thick
7 cups vegetable or chicken stock
½ cup light sour cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Trim the stem ends of the chard, then pull the leaves off of the stems. Chop both the leaves and stems;
set them aside separately. Fry the bacon in a large saucepan, drain, crumble, and set aside. Save 2
tablespoons of the fat and sauté the onions or leeks in it. (If you’re not using bacon, substitute olive oil
for the bacon fat.) Add the potatoes and stock, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 10
minutes, or until the potatoes begin to become tender. Add the stems from the greens and cook 5
minutes, then add leaves and cook until tender, about 5-10 more minutes. Cool slightly, then puree in a
blender or food processor.
Add the sour cream, reheat gently, and season to taste. Sprinkle each serving with the chopped bacon
bits.

Chard-Wrapped Chicken

Roasted Carrots and Onions (see recipe below)
¼ cup olive oil
2 tbsp snipped fresh dill, oregano, or sage
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ tsp ground black pepper
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
6 medium skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
6 Swiss chard leaves, stems trimmed

1. Preheat oven to 375. Prepare roasted carrots and onions and place in oven. Meanwhile, in a small
bowl, combine olive oil, 1 tsp of the herbs, garlic, and pepper. In another small bowl, combine feta
cheese and 1 tbsp olive oil mixture. Mash mixture together with the back of a spoon to form a paste.
2. Top each chicken breast with some of the feta mixture, pressing firmly. Wrap center portion of each
chicken breast with a Swiss chard leaf, leaving ends exposed. Place wrapped chicken breasts in a
3-quart rectangular baking dish.
3. After carrots have been in the oven for 10 minutes, add chicken to oven. Bake, uncovered, for 25 to
30 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. If desired, sprinkle chicken with remaining 1 tsp herbs.
ROASTED CARROTS & ONIONS: In a 2-quart rectangular baking dish combine 1 pound peeled and
sliced carrots; 1 medium onion, cut into thin wedges; 1 tbsp olive oil, ¼ tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp ground
black pepper. Toss to coat. Bake as directed.

Penne with Swiss Chard and Green Garlic

1 bunch Swiss chard, stems cut from the leaves and the stems and leaves chopped separately
1/8 - 1/4 tsp dried hot red pepper flakes
3-4 Tbs finely chopped green garlic
2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 cup water
1 cup drained canned tomatoes, chopped
1/2 pound penne or other tubular pasta
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan plus additional as an accompaniment

Rinse and drain separately the Swiss chard stems and leaves. •In a large heavy skillet cook the red
pepper flakes and the garlic in the oil over moderate heat, stirring, until the garlic is tender. Add the
stems and 1/4 cup of the water, and cook the mixture, covered, for 5 minutes, or until the stems are
just tender. Add the leaves with the remaining 1/4 cup water and salt and pepper to taste and cook the
mixture, covered, for 5 minutes. •Stir in the tomatoes and cook the mixture, covered, for 3 min. or until
the leaves are tender. While the chard is cooking, in a kettle of salted boiling water boil the penne until
it is al dente and drain it in a colander. •In a large bowl toss the penne with the chard mixture and 1/4
cup of the Parmesan and serve it with the additional Parmesan.

Creamed Swiss Chard

2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp flour
½ tsp ground nutmeg
1 bunch Swiss Chard, ribs removed, leaves roughly chopped
¼ cup coarsely chopped shallots
1 cup milk
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper

In skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add shallots & cook until
translucent, about 3 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly,
for 1 minute. Add milk, nutmeg, salt, & pepper; raise heat to high &
cook, stirring until mixture is reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add
chard & cook until tender & coated with thickened milk mixture, about
4 minutes. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

Swiss Chard and Polenta Squares

1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup milk
1 ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup polenta or yellow corn meal
1 tsp salt
¾ tsp ground black pepper
4 tbsp olive oil
6 cups green onions, chopped
1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
1 bunch chard, stems removed and leaves coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 375. Oil 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Whisk ricotta
and milk in large bowl to blend. Mix in Parmesan, polenta, salt and
pepper. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add
onions and fennel seeds. Cover and cook until onions soften, about 5
minutes. Add chard, cover and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Stir
chard mixture into polenta. Transfer to prepared dish. Brush 1 tablespoon
oil over top. Bake until brown around edges and firm in center, about 35
minutes. Cut into squares and serve.

Pasta with Butternut Squash and Chard

12 oz. spiral-shaped pasta
1 butternut squash
1 bunch chard, cut into 1-inch ribbons
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
4 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Quarter, seed, and peel squash. Cut squash into 1/2-inch cubes. Remove stems from the chard, wash,
drain, and cut into 1-inch wide ribbons. In a large heavy skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat and
saute the squash with salt to taste, stirring occasionally, until almost tender, about 7 minutes. While the
squash is cooking, cook pasta according to instructions on the package in boiling water until just tender.
Reserve 1 cup cooking water and drain pasta in a colander. Add chard and garlic to skillet with the
squash and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until any liquid is evaporated. Add the pasta and
the reserved cooking water and bring to a boil. Season pasta with lemon juice and salt and pepper.
Remove skillet from heat and toss pasta with Parmesan. Serves 4.

Red Chard Risotto

5 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups arborio rice or medium-grain white rice
4 cups (packed) coarsely chopped red Swiss chard leaves (about 1 bunch)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Additional grated Parmesan cheese
Bring broth to simmer in medium saucepan. Cover and keep warm. Heat oil in
heavy large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent,
about 5 minutes. Add rice and chard and stir until chard begins to wilt, about 3
minutes. Add wine and simmer until absorbed, stirring occasionally, about 2
minutes. Add 4 1/2 cups hot broth. Simmer until rice is just tender and risotto is
creamy, stirring frequently and adding remaining 1/2 cup broth by 1/4 cupfuls if
mixture is dry, about 20 minutes. Mix in 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese; season to
taste with salt and pepper. Transfer risotto to medium bowl. Serve, passing
additional Parmesan separately.

Swiss Chard Tzatzik

CSA member Mary Dinkuhn found it at Simply Recipes.

Tzatziki is a Greek dip made with yogurt, olive oil, garlic, and cucumbers. This version (from Martha Stewart Living) replaces the cucumbers with Swiss chard and is delightful with
toasted pita.

1 cup finely chopped Swiss chard leaves (remove ribs*)
1 garlic clove
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup plain yogurt
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
A dash of cayenne
3 (9-inch diameter) pita breads, cut like a pie into triangles
Olive oil for drizzling on to the pita bread
1 Bring a 1 or 2 quart saucepan, half filled with water, to a boil. Add the chopped chard leaves. Cook until tender, about 3-5 minutes. While the chard is cooking, prepare a bowl with ice
water for an ice bath. When the chard is cooked, strain through a fine mesh strainer and put into the ice bath to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.
2 Using mortar and pestle, grind the garlic and salt into a paste. In a medium-sized bowl, stir in the yogurt, chard, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper. Set aside.
3 Cut the pita bread into triangles and layout in one layer in a broiling pan (use a sturdy broiling pan, not a cookie sheet or your cookie sheet will warp). Drizzle olive oil on one side of the
pita wedges. Use a pastry brush to spread the olive oil more evenly. Place in a broiler. Broil for 5 minutes or until the pita bread starts to toast. Remove and let cool for a minute.
Serve the tzatziki with the pita wedges.
Serves 4.

Red Chard and Beet Greens

Served over a bed of brown rice
Ingredients
1-1/2 lbs. Red Chard
Tops from 1 bunch Beets (beets optional)
1 Onion, large, sweet
1 tsp. Allspice, ground
1 tsp. Cinnamon, ground
2/3 cup Raisins
2/3 cup Walnuts
2/3 cup Apple Juice
1-1/2 tbsp. Corn Starch
Preparation
Thoroughly wash and clean the red chard, removing any bad spots. Cut into bite-sized pieces or coarsely shred in a food processor. Place in a large covered glass or ceramic baking dish.
Cut the tops off the bunch of beets and thoroughly wash, clean and prepare the beet greens as you did the red chard. If you desire, you can add some of the beet roots cut into bite-sized
pieces, or save them and eat them raw in your salad. Wash and peel the onion. Shred or coarsely chop and add to the covered baking dish with the greens. Add the seasoning, and mix
well. Place in a preheated conventional oven set at 350 degrees F. for about 10 minutes or until the greens begin to wilt. It is best to start cooking the brown rice at this time. We suggest
cooking 2 cups of brown rice in 4 cups of water. When the greens begin to wilt, add the raisins and walnuts and mix well. Return to the oven and cook for another 10-20 minutes or until
the greens, onions, and beets (if used) are tender. Remove from the oven. Mix the apple juice and corn starch together and add to the other ingredients in the baking dish and mix well.
The heat of the other ingredients should begin to gel the cornstarch and liquid. Place back in the oven and cook for another few minutes and mix again. The dish should now have a thick
sauce. If it is too thick, add a little more apple juice and mix well again. If the liquid is too thin, add a little more cornstarch and apple juice mixture and mix well. Serve over a bed of brown
rice and enjoy!

Sauteed Swiss Chard ribs with cream and Pasta

CSA member Mary Dinkuhn found this recipe at Simply Recipes
lb swiss chard, yielding 2 cups of chopped ribs
1/4 cup (half a stick) butter
3/4 to 1 cup heavy cream
Enough dry pasta to make about one quart of cooked pasta (use rice
pasta if gluten-free is required)
Salt and pepper
1 Separate the ribs from the greens in the manner described here. Cut
the ribs into 1/2-inch to 1-inch pieces. Blanch the ribs in lightly salted
boiling water for 3 minutes.
2 Melt butter in a saucepan on medium heat. Add the drained,
blanched ribs and simmer for 4 minutes. Add heavy cream and cook
until cream reduces by two-thirds.
3 While the cream is reducing, cook up your pasta according to the
pasta's package directions.
4 Mix creamed chard with pasta. Season lightly with salt and freshly
ground pepper.
Serves four.

Chard Recipes

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