Swiss Chard Recipes

[mydakota]

Last year I started winter gardening in a cold frame. It was really successful, and I have plans to build another one this year to grow even more of our winter time food. One of the veggies that does well in a winter garden is Swiss Chard. I grew some this last time and it is out there thriving. My problem?? My family does not like Swiss Chard when cooked the standard olive oil and garlic way. Do you have any recipes that use Swiss Chard in unusual and good tasting ways?? I really don't want to be a slave to the produce department this winter, and want more than just salad out of the frame.

 

[so lucky]

I am curious about this too. I tried fixing some last evening-- "wilted" with bacon drippings, a bit of vinegar and sugar. It was just ok. My DH did not like it. I even had the pretty colored type, with the gold and red ribs. I need to find a green leafy vegetable he will eat.

 

[Neko-chan]

I LOVELOVELOVE silverbeet (swiss chard).

Usually it can be used like spinach, so try it shredded finely in quiches and frittatas (sautee with the onions, bacon, garlic, and whatever else you want in them) and bake with the egg custard and cheese.

Shred very finely and cook with carrots, raddish greens, onions, broccoli, garlic, meat and noodles (or put the mixture over rice) as a stir fry.

Cooked until very wilted, I imagine you can use it in spinach type dips, or half and half with spinach, or shredded in lasagnes or other cheese and pasta dishes.

Use it in place of things that ask for kale, perhaps.

Mix it up with cabbage. You'd have a hard time picking it out from the stronger taste of the brassica, and fried up right, it's delish.

Other than that, it's a case of "Suck it up and eat it, sweetie, this is what there is."

I usually cut the green leaf part away from the stalk, stak up the leaves, roll them into a tight sausage, and then slice them thinly to get shreds. The stalks are chopped seperately. Then I cook them till tender.

 

[keljonma]

I think there were a number of recipes using Swiss Chard last year, so a search of this section may provide more ideas.

We love Swiss Chard, especially the colorful Bright Lights! We used to grow it in the shade of the tomato plants in high summer. Any leftovers can be given to the hens if you have them.

 

[mydakota]

I have a dozen hens, and they get a lot of table scraps, so no problem there.

Bravo Neko-Chan!! That is a LOT of uses for Swiss Chard! I actually do have a nice recipe for a frittata that uses spinach. I think I will try that tomorrow!

 

[Henrietta23]

I used to hate it. Then my MIL, who isn't a great cook, served it sauteed in olive oil, and glopped with mayo. You'd think I'd hate it even more but I choked it down and it was an interesting combination of flavors. When I cooked it myself at home with a homemade mayo dressing it was actually pretty good! A good thick sprinkling of crumblet bacon on top doesn't hurt either....

 

[freemotion]

My favorite is chard stems....yup, stems only, so use those leaves in another dish like the swiss chard quiche someone posted that is the perfect homestead dish (lots of eggs and cheese!). When I was a kid, one of our goats got out and ate an entire row of swiss chard leaved from the garden, leaving a row of stems. We had chard stems for dinner. With butter and salt. YUMMMMM!!! Really!

 

[freemotion]

Here is the recipe for the quiche from me&thegals:

1 onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon oil
1 bunch Swiss chard
6 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 piecrust (see below for no-roll crust recipe)

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Brown onion and garlic in oil. Trim and chop chard (can include greens and stems), add to pan and cook down until wilted. Beat eggs and milk in bowl. Mix in salt and chard mixture. Pour into piecrust. Sprinkle cheese on top, pushing slightly into chard mixture. Bake until knife inserted into center comes out clean, about 30-40 min.

1 piece (including 1/8 of crust below): 367 calories,
13 grams protein, 5 grams fiber
Vitamin A 170% Vitamin C 42%
Calcium 24% Iron 23%


Whole-wheat, no-roll piecrust1 cups flour (whole-wheat pastry flour best, whole-wheat flour okay)
1 tsp sugar
tsp salt
cup oil
3 tbsp milk

Place all ingredients in pie pan. Mix with fork until well blended and pat into the pan. Push pastry up the sides and form a nice edge with thumb and finger. Prick to avoid bubbling during baking.

 

[mydakota]

Oh that quiche looks wonderful!

 

[freemotion]

It is, it is now one of our favorites, so thanks again, me&thegals!