In my past life, the one where I subsisted on Celeste pizza and yodels, the words delicious and swiss chard went together like avocados and peanut butter: not so much. Even after a huge paradigm shift in how I eat, swiss chard remained among the group of holdouts on the list of ingredients that were hard to swallow. I conquered kale and lapped up leeks, but not swiss chard. No one ever raves about the taste of swiss chard, but there's one thing chard does have going for it: it's mighty pretty. Each week, at the market, I'll admire the rainbow stalks, but, not sure what do with it, I leave it behind. That changed after I found Martha Stewart's recipe for Sicilian-style swiss chard.
Like most pretty things, swiss chard needs help in the substance, aka flavor, department. There's plenty going on in this recipe, starting with crispy shallots. Looking for a flavor boost? Crispy shallots will bring it.
The recipe also calls for golden raisins. I buy mine from Trader Joe's. Joe has the plumpest raisins around.
Raisins bring a sweet, and toasted almonds bring a nutty heartiness to the dish. Add some lemon for acid and there it is: a perfect dish with sweet, savory, nutty, and lemony dimensions.
I served the swiss chard over Israeli couscous. It was a perfect vegetarian meal.
Sicilian Swiss Chard
Adapted from Martha Stewart's Cooking School by Martha Stewart
Ingredients
For greens:
1 pound Swiss chard
For nut mixture:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium shallots (or 1 small onion), thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1/3 cup raisins (golden or dark)
For sauteing greens:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Juice of 1/2 lemon (1 to 2 tablespoons)
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Procedure
1. Remove stems from chard. Fill a large bowl with cold water. Add leaves and let stand, swishing in water occasionally to loosen grit, for 1 minute. Lift greens out of water. Drain bowl and rinse out grit. Repeat until no grit remains in bottom of bowl when greens are removed, up to 4 more times. Repeat with stems.
2. Slice greens crosswise into 1-inch-wide strips. Slice stems into 1/2-inch pieces, cutting just enough to yield 1 cup (discard remaining stems).
3. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook shallots until crispy brown (about 3 minutes) then add garlic and red pepper flakes until fragrant but not brown, about 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Add nuts and raisins and cook, stirring, until fragrant and raisins have softened, about 2 minutes more. Remove from pan; set aside.
5. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in same skillet. Stir in the chard stems and cook for 1 minute. Add greens one handful at a time, stirring to wilt slightly before adding more, then cook until wilted and tender, 3 to 5 minutes.
6. Add butter and stir until melted and combined. Squeeze lemon juice over greens and season with salt and pepper.
7. Return nut mixture to pan and stir into greens, then drizzle with a little olive oil, if desired, and serve immediately. Serve over rice, pasta, or couscous.
