swiss chard

can anyone tell or describe what it taste's like?

cook 'em like other greens, treat the stem like asparagus- they taste like, u know, greens

If you like spinach you'll probably like chard. I cook it the same way with butter. Sometimes I'll cook it with onion and a smoked ham hock or bacon. It's hard to describe a taste. I have some at the garden and some growing here in the back yard.

Swiss Chard is one of my very favorite vegetables. Being in the Beet family, the flavor, while very very mild, is sort of like a cross between beets & spinach.

The most important thing to keep in mind re: cooking, is that unless you're using tiny little baby chard, the stems (which are delicious) take a little longer to cook than the leaves. What I do is separate the leaves from the stems, slice the stems into 1"-2" pieces & boil them for 4-5 minutes - then add in the chopped or sliced leaves & cook for just another minute or two. Drain & then proceed with your recipe.

A simple one to start with is to saute some chopped garlic in a little extra-virgin olive oil, add in your blanched chard along with some crushed red pepper flakes & dry seasoned breadcrumbs to taste. Heat through & serve.

I also have a FABULOUS recipe for a Mexican-style Swiss Chard, but it'll have to wait until I'm up & running on my new computer (assuming my husband can salvage my food files from my old crashed machine).

BreezyCooking said:

I also have a FABULOUS recipe for a Mexican-style Swiss Chard, but it'll have to wait until I'm up & running on my new computer (assuming my husband can salvage my food files from my old crashed machine).

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Oh, I hope you can retrieve your files, Breezy! That sounds fantastic!

Lee

thanks for the replys. I do like spinach so I think I'll get some swiss chard.

I've used beet greens and chard in this recipe from Guy Fieri. You do need to cook them longer to get tender.

Lori's Special Spinach

recipe courtesy Guy Fieri

Prep Time:
5 min
Inactive Prep Time:
--
Cook Time:
10 min

Level:
Easy

Serves:
3 servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 cups uncut baby spinach, raw
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/3 cup chicken broth
2 teaspoons sea salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons grated Parmesan

Directions

Heat olive oil in medium stock pot, when hot add spinach and chopped garlic. Cook until fully wilted, then add chicken broth and reduce. Season with salt and pepper.

Garnish with the Parmesan and serve immediately.

So swiss chard is not bitter? Somehow I always thought it was but I've never had it before so that was just an assumption.

Yes, Nancy, I think it has a bit of a bitter aftertaste, but it doesn't stop me from loving it.

If I taste a little bitterness, I sprinkle a pinch of Sweet n Low in it, which takes care of it.

HEY!!! Here's a use for my stevia!!!

Lee

I also like to put rice wine vinegar or some other vinegar on it.

I didn't buy it at Publix. It looked wilted & old. I thought for $4 a small bunch it just looked bad.

I will look at some somewhere else.

Nancy-MD said:

So swiss chard is not bitter? Somehow I always thought it was but I've never had it before so that was just an assumption.

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No, not bitter at all - at least when cooked. The only time I've found the taste/texture to be unpleasant is raw in salads, so I never use it that way.

BreezyCooking said:

The most important thing to keep in mind re: cooking, is that unless you're using tiny little baby chard, the stems (which are delicious) take a little longer to cook than the leaves. What I do is separate the leaves from the stems, slice the stems into 1"-2" pieces & boil them for 4-5 minutes - then add in the chopped or sliced leaves & cook for just another minute or two. Drain & then proceed with your recipe.
.

Click to expand...

This is pretty much the way I always cook chard and love it!

My friend, Allan, brought me a big bunch of rainbow chard from his garden last weekend.

Cooked it up pretty much the way Breezy described, stems first and then the leaves, until everything was tender.

Top with some butter, salt and a couple of dashes of vinegar - WONDERFUL!

Lee

This recipe was good and had it with the brats the other night.

http://www.food.com/recipe/german-style-spinach-or-chard-315601

Wow! Happy Oktoberfest, John!

Looks delicious!

Lee

It was good fresh but re-heated a few days later, not so much.