Swiss Chard, ugh!

I’m having a love-hate relationship with Swiss Chard lately.  It is so easy to grow in the garden and it seems that every magazine I open lately is touting its nutritional value.  And, okay, its just so darn pretty! (we grow the bright lights variety).  We often have so much of it, I can’t quite figure out what to do with it all.  I fear that those people who belong to CSAs might be in the same boat, drowning in swiss chard.  Over the past two seasons I have been able to find a few great ways to use the big, leafy, green stuff and I thought I should get around to writing them down; lest I forget and start having nightmares of a house full of chard.
Always start by washing and de-stemming the swiss chard.  I then usually fold the leaves in half lengthwise and make a lengthwise cut, then chop the chard.  From here you can easily toss them in a skillet with some olive oil and garlic and call it a side dish.  I’ll also use sauteed swiss chard in scrambled eggs and quiche (or egg pie as it is called in our house) here’s a link to my favorite recipe.
My husband’s favorite swiss chard recipe goes something like this:
*sautee swiss chard with garlic and olive oil, put aside
*in a fry pan with some oil, cook 4 chicken sausages (apple or sweet Italian will work)
*when the sausages are almost finished, add the swiss chard to the sausage pan, pushing everything to the sides of the pan to make an empty space in the middle.  Add a touch more oil to the empty space and fry 2-3 eggs.
*slice the sausages and divide the eggs among plates, add salt and pepper to taste.

Our most recent swiss chard experiment looks like this: (and we definitely would eat it again!)
*one pork tenderloin, slice lengthwise but not all the way through, so you can open it like a book.
*use a meat mallet to flatten the pork slightly.
*season with salt and pepper, place sauteed swiss chard (8-10 leaves worth) on the pork and sprinkle with approx 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese.
*roll it all up and use toothpicks or skewers to keep the meat together.  Brush with some olive oil and cook in a baking dish at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until meat is cooked through.

I have also recently looked in to freezing swiss chard and while it looks promising, I haven’t attempted it myself.  With our fall crop planted in the garden already, I’m sure I will be making freezer space come October!

Heath and Happiness,

Cerissa

I’d love to hear about how you use swiss chard!