Kitchen Garden Forum

I have so much of rainbow chard bright lights growing in my polytunnel (sowed last summer) that it's almost becoming a burden - no one I know seems to like eating it and even I'm getting sick of it. I tend to steam it for a minute or two and eat it with a little butter and salt. It's getting to the point I'm tempted to dig it all up to free up space, but think I should give it one last chance! Anyone got any cooking tips to transform this into something delicious?

Try this one - it's from Fork to Fork, takes no time to make and is yummy.

Strip the leaves off the stems of 2 heads of chard and wash, but don't completely dry. Chop roughly.
Soften 2 cloves of chopped garlic in 2 tablespoons olive oil & add a pinch of chilli flakes.
Chuck the chopped leaves in and cook till soft.
Add lemon juice and salt to taste.

This makes veg dish similar to cooked spinich out of older leaves. It's good as a side dish, or stirred into pasta with grated parmesan on the top.

You can also blanch baby leaves for a couple of mins and just toss in the cooked oil, garlic and chilli mix which keeps the leaves more in 1 piece.

The book says you can also eat both on toast, but not tried that myself yet.

Sue

If you think of the leaves as spinach and the stems as asparagus, you can adapt a load of recipes.

It makes good soup.

You can also keep it intact (ie, don't strip the leaves from the stems), shred it and add to stir fries as you would pak choi.

thanks! will have a go...

I steam it, chop it and add it to eggs to make a chard omelette. I guess you could also make it into a quiche.

I use the stems like celary - young eaten raw in dips etc. or lighly cooked with a cheese sauce.

Beryl.

Chard Fritata

Maybe 1.5 lb chard, 1 onion, 2 cloves garlic, 4 eggs

Exact amounts depend on the pans you have. You want to produce a 'cake' about 1" - 1.5" thick. I find that the above amount does that in a 10" frying pan.


*Separate the leaves and stems, roughly slice or chop both. Plunge the stems into boiling water, when it returns to the boil add the leaves, when it returns to the boil again drain very thoroughly, sqeezing out extra liquid.* Cool the chard until it won't cook the eggs when you mix it with them.

Chop an onion, start it gently frying in a little olive oil, when soft add some finely chopped garlic, stir and add to the cooled chard. Beat the eggs with salt and pepper, mix into the chard. Heat a little more olive oil in an oven proof frying pan, add the egg mixture and put in the oven at gas 4 for about 40 minutes to an hour, until it has set.

If you don't have an oven proof frying pan you can put the mixture in any thing that will give the right thickness and go in the oven, just oil it well. Or you can fry it very gently and finish it off under the grill. Or turn it to finish the cooking.

This is good hot, it's even better warm and it's also good cold. Good for picnics and lunch boxes, or when you come in from the allotment wanting something fast.


Chard Gratin

1.5 lb chard, dozen black olives, 1 onion, 2 tbs flour, 1 oz butter, 10 fl oz milk, sprig of thyme, bay leaf, grated cheese.

Prepare and cook chard as above *-*, put in a shallow oven proof dish. Chop onion, fry gently in butter until soft, add flour, mix, cook gently for a couple of minutes. Add milk gradually, stirring all the time, then add thyme and bay, simmer gently for ten minutes.stirring from time to time. Meanwhile stone and chop the olives. Remove the herbs, mix in the olives and pour over the chard. Sprinkle with cheese ^ and brown under a hot grill.

If you are making it in advance prepare to ^ and chill. If you've time (and remember) take it out of the fridge and bring to room temperature, otherwise just put in to a gas 6 oven until browned and bubbling.

I usually make two at once, eat one right away and the other the next day.



Putting some potatoes in to bake when you start heating the oven gives you a simple meal with either of these.

Dear Bigpepperplant,
put a pan of water on to boil. Thinly shred the chard into strips and when the water is boiling put a steamer on the top with the chard in it. 5 minutes later put some gnocchi into the boiling water and wait a further 3-4 minutes. Meanwhile grate some blue cheese, or smoked cheese ( my personal fave is smoked blue wensleydale) about 1/2 - 1oz per serving will do. Toss all three ingredients in a bowl and eat.
This recipie takes approximatly 15 minutes from garden to fork. If you fancy, add some strips of ham or chicken as they go very well in this dish.
Regards Sally Wright.

I like it sautéed. Just bung some chopped onion in a pan, with butter/oil a tea spoon of cumin seeds almost any veg, and chard. Rough chop the leaves. When veg is almost cooked put leaves on veg, put lid on for a couple of minuets. then serve.

Try making a lasagne with sauteed chard, shallots and garlic in butter. Layer with lasagne sheets, a mixture of a tub of cottage cheese, riccotta and parmesan cheeses, pour a cheesy sauce over the whole lot and sprinkle with more parmesan. Cook for about 35 mins at 190 degrees. Delish with garlic bread! You can also use spinach instead of the chard.

Hi Biggerplant,
By now the Chard will be getting a bit hoary and maybe it is time to go down the row and cut out all the older leaves/chards and add to compost and this will have the effect of invigorating the plants and you will at least soon be eating young succulent leaves.
I feel that too much Chard or Spinach is not an ideal diet because of the Oxalic Acid content. By clearing it out it may give you a chance to vary your diet a little and then you will come to love it again. Swiss Chard was one of the seeds sent too me by my Canadian Cousins in 1943 when seeds were very hard to come-by and I have always loved it.
I actually only grow Swiss Chard and I sow quite thickly down the row as the thinnings at about 4" are delicious. I pull, nip the roots off, and then straight into the pan (steamer Actually) and I generallty mix a little butter when cooked and have a couple of poached eggs on the top with some good home made bread and butter. (Jersey Butter from my nearest neighbour. Wonderful!!)
Perhaps if you have too many reduce the amount of plants but do not get rid of all of them until the next sowing is ready to pick.

Dear Johnboy,
chard does not contain oxalic acid because it is a member of the beetroot family and not a member of the spinach family. But I do agree with hacking it down to get rid of the chewy stuff.
Regards Sally Wright.

Hi Sally,
Oxalic Acid is found in many plants not just the Spinach Family.

Hi Sally
Beetroot leaves are great cooked like spinach. It is advised not to have too many because of oxalic acid.
Pete

Hi Sally,
I am reliably informed that Swiss Chard contains
Oxalic Acid but only about a 1/10th of that found in Spinach.
Oxalic Acid is found in a very wide spectrum of plants and not only those that originate here.
As Peat has pointed out it is contained in Beetroot leaves as it is in Sorrel and Rhubarb to name but two more.
The hoarier the leaves the higher the concentration so that is why young tender leaves, to me, are so scrumptious.