chard Archives - domenica dreams of calamari

April 6, 2015August 1, 2016

Chard with Anchovy and Crushed Tomato Dressing

We get a lot of chard in our CSA and I always tend to steam or saute it with some garlic and vinegar or citrus. And that’s always good but this time I wanted to try something different. Chard is full of vitamins and it’s actually better wilted so it is a great vehicle for warm sauces, unlike other daintier leafy greens. Anchovies and capers give this a salty-umami Mediterranean taste and the warm yellow tomatoes balance it with a little sweetness.

1 bunch chard
4 anchovies in olive oil
15 yellow cherry tomatoes
1 lg garlic clove
splash red wine vinegar
1/2 tbsp capers
red chili flakes
pepper

slice chard off of ribs then julienne the leaves (long skinny slices), I like to roll together a few pieces then slice them to save time and make them more uniform, put chard in a mixing bowl
drain olive oil from the anchovies and heat it (the oil) over medium heat in a sauce pan
mince the garlic and add it to the pan, once garlic is opaque add anchovies and mash with the back of a fork, add red chili flakes
add capers, tomatoes and red wine vinegar then cover the pan for a minute
uncover the pan once the tomatoes appear to be deflating a bit then carefully squash them with the back of a fork (angle them away so that you don’t squirt yourself or your kitchen with hot tomato juices)
pour the sauce over the chard and cover for a couple minutes until chard is just starting to wilt, then mix it all together, finish with pepper

November 12, 2014January 22, 2015

Sauteed Chard with Dates and Garbanzo Beans

This was another attempt to use up large amounts of greens before they wilted past the point of no return. I love making warm wilted greens in the winter instead of salads. It’s so much more satisfying and comforting. The combination of sweet dates and savory spiced garbanzo beans adds complexity and takes these healthy greens to a whole new level. If it wasn’t already good enough, another reason to eat chard is its’ plethora of health benefits. It has lots of antioxidants, vitamin C (for immunity), vitamin K (for bone strength), omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin A, calcium, potassium and iron (red blood cell production).

According to “nutrition-and-you.com”, regular inclusion of chard in the diet has been found to prevent osteoporosis, iron-deficiency anemia, and vitamin-A deficiency; and believed to protect from cardiovascular diseases and colon and prostate cancers

1/2 can garbanzo beans
2 cloves garlic
1 large bunch green chard
about 8 cups-worth spinach
1/4 cup water
10 dates
2 tbsp olive oil
salt pepper
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1tsp red chili flakes
1 lemon (juice)

heat olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat and mince garlic
add garlic to the pan with the cumin paprika and chili flakes
drain garbanzos and add them to the skillet, stirring to coat them in the spices
continue cooking, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes, until garbanzos start to brown a little bit
slice chard and spinach and add chard in batches to the skillet, pit and slice dates
in the first batch add the water and cover for 1 minute
then remove cover and add more chard, flipping so that the already cooked greens are on top
continue this process until all of the chard and kale are cooked about evenly, turn the heat down
add the sliced dates and mix in, remove from heat and move to a large mixing bowl
squeeze lemon juice in and mix, adding salt and pepper to taste

October 14, 2014November 2, 2014

Sautéed Rainbow Chard

1 bunch rainbow chard
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup slivered almonds
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

heat olive oil and garlic in a large pan until garlic turns opaque
slice rainbow chard
add to the pan and pour chicken broth over
at medium low heat, let cook down to a bit, until chard starts turning dark
add slivered almonds and raisins, add a little water if it’s wilting too fast