Swiss Chard

When a last minute meeting cancellation left me with a free hour on Tuesday, I strolled over to the farmer’s market near my office. I wanted to find something different for a simple veggie side dish, and settled on this large bunch of chard. First, I cleaned it well and then chopped the stems.

I took out a large frying pan and heated some olive oil, and then added minced garlic.

I added the stems to the pan, put the cover on, and cooked them on medium-low heat for 5 minutes.

Then, I stuffed the chopped leaves into the pan. It was a tight fit, but I finally managed to get the cover on. I cooked them on medium heat for 3-4 minutes, and then removed the cover and cooked them for another 3 minutes.

I added a splash of lemon juice and a dash of salt and pepper. The end result was two generous servings of fresh local swiss chard. The flavor is stronger than spinach, but milder than kale or collard greens. Give it a try!