Swiss or Rainbow Swiss Chard is one of the most nutritious vegetables you can eat. Like they say, "eat the colors of the rainbow" and you will get all the different nutrients your body needs. It's also true that the darker the color, the higher the anti-oxidants! Just look at those dark green leaves -- rainbow chard is high in iron, vitamins A and C, & it's a great source of fiber.
I was amazed at its color when I saw this at the Ballard Sunday Farmers' Market in Seattle. Even though I had never used rainbow chard, I had to buy it!
I follow this rule when using new ingredients - when it looks complex or you're not sure what to do with an ingredient, keep the other flavors simple. I learned that lesson from one of my favorite wine & tapas restaurants in New York, called Just a Taste. With this dish I kept it simple, but I still kicked up the flavor!
I used:
- 1/2 bunch roughly chopped rainbow chard, thoroughly washed and dried
- 3 tbspns extra virgin olive oil
- handful of walnuts
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 tbsn freshly squeezed lime juice
- shaved pecorino romano, parmesan, or any other salty cheese that has a bite to it. This is to balance out the chardiness.
This is all about a quick sauté ... and quick turning (also, quick eating :)
1. Put the oil in a sauté pan on medium heat
2. Add the walnuts just long enough to coat in the oil
3. Add the chard, salt, pepper, and let it cook for 5-8 minutes, but don't overcook! (Note: both chard stems and leaves are edible. I discarded the tough stems, as they turn the whole dish chewy, but I kept a few tender stems in there.)
4. Turn off the heat, add lime juice, and toss it around for a minute or so.
5. Transfer to your serving dish, add the cheese, & eat it right away!
This is the kind of stuff you don't want sitting around ... hence I don't have many photos of it :)
Here are a few more shots of this tapas dish and its star ingredient:
p.s. I also made little swiss cheese & rainbow chard baked rolls, using the leftover chard. They were all eaten before I could get a photo, so that will be a post for the next time I can find rainbow chard!
4 comments:
Swiss chard is one of those things i *want* to like...I just dont. What a shame though--its so pretty!
There is usually a bitterness to swiss chard, similar to the Chinese green "yu choy" if you don't have it young enough.
I had the good fortune of eating this "Rainbow Power Chard" though, and thanks to balancing its bitterness with the nuts, cheese, and other ingredients, for the first time I DID like swiss chard. Thank you MPG!
is that the same thing as rhubarb?
Megan - The key to eating a food you don't usually like is to prepare it with other ingredients you are used to eating. This is how I *now* love a lot of veggies I used to not like. With something like chard, use lemon, garlic, nuts, cheeses, or any familiar flavoring to make it friendlier.
BG - I can't wait to do something different with chard next time!
Mia - Nope they are two different things with a similar look:
Rhubarb is an stem herb that originated in Asia. There is an ongoing debate on whether it should be classified as a vegetable or a fruit. People will argue differently based on its uses. You see the rhubarb stalk widely used in desserts because it is too tart to eat raw, and so it is usually baked or stewed and paired with other fruits. The leaves are usually not eaten because they are considered toxic! Rhubarb is a great source of Vitamins C and K, Potassium, and Magnesium - everything good for your bones! The Rhubarb season in the U.S. is approximately from April to September.
Chard on the other hand, is a leafy vegetable (or a "green") similiar to spinach, and is considered to be a part of the beet family. You can eat chard leaves and stalk, everything you like, but you'll never see a Strawberry-Chard Pie ;) Chard is also a good source of the same vitamins as Rhubarb, plus lots more including iron, fiber, B6 & what not! Chard really is the most nutritious veggy you can eat! The chard season is approximately June through October. Around Seattle I've seen it year long, although you may see the rainbow kind only in summer.
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