Swiss chard is one of our favorite garden greens. It’s packed with nutrients and grows from late spring through late fall in our New Jersey garden giving us a ready supply of earthy greens almost year round. Give chard a try if you haven’t already…it’s a more flavorful and hearty cousin of spinach and is great sauteed, used in soups and stews, stuffed like grape leaves, or in quiche and frittata recipes. Here’s a quick saute recipe using toasted pine nuts and raisins.
- 2 bunches (about 1 1/2 pounds total) Swiss Chard stalks cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces, leaves torn into 2-inch pieces (keep stalks and leaves separate)
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/3 cup golden raisins
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 lemon – zest and juice
- Coarse salt and ground pepper
DIRECTIONS
- Wash chard thoroughly, leaving some water clinging to stalks and leaves; set aside. In a large saute pan with a lid, toast the pine nuts over medium-high heat, shaking pan to brown evenly, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from pan; set aside.
- In same saute pan, heat oil over medium-high head. Add stalks, and cook until beginning to soften, about 4 minutes. Add leaves, raisins and garlic Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until tender, 6 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Pull lid back slightly, and tilt pan to pour off water. Stir in zest of 1/2 lemon and squeeze of lemon juice and add toasted pine nuts; season with salt and pepper. Serve.
William (8) with a bundle of mega-chard from the garden
