Braised Swiss Chard

Posted by Tabitha in Vegetables

 

Why do so many people think they hate greens? I never knew how warm, spicy, and comforting they could be until I played around with a few recipes. Braised greens are simple and fast to make. You can trade out nearly all of the ingredients. Best of all, they are a widely recommended part of a nutritious diet. This is one of the few food items that doesn’t not seem steeped in controversy, so enjoy it at your leisure, my friend!

Reasons you should make this: use any kind of greens- chard, turnip greens, collards, spinach, kale, dandelion greens; use different spices and vinegars to create a different style; stores well in fridge for at least 3 or 4 days; freezes and thaws well; leafy green vegetables- we all need more!

Flavors and Texture: most greens are fairly mild in flavor, some are a little peppery or nutty. Depends on which fat, spices and vinegar you use. The way I made mine the flavor is vegetal (green), slightly sweet, acidic, salty, smokey, and sort of has a tender, meaty texture.

Ingredients:

1 bunch of Swiss Chard (Substitute kale, collards, turnip greens, beet greens, dandelion, etc. )

1 medium onion (Sub. yellow, white or red)

2 cloves of garlic

2 Tbsp. bacon grease (Sub. coconut oil, olive oil, butter)

1 cup chicken broth (Sub. red or white wine, veg. broth, water)

1 tsp. smoked paprika (Sub. coriander, cumin, curry powder)

2 Tbsp. sherry vinegar (Sub. red or white wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, cider vinegar)

Salt to taste

Ground black pepper to taste

Hot Sauce (optional)

Prep:

Put pan on burner with bacon grease in it but don’t turn it on yet!

Pile all your ingredients nearby your clean cutting board and sharp knife.

Rinse the chard under running water and remove any brown parts.

Remove thick stems by cutting them out with your sharp knife.

Stack the greens and cut crosswise into about 1/2 inch strips.

Cut perpendicular to the first cuts so you have smaller pieces that will be easier to eat.

Cut the root and stem end off your onion

Peel the papery skin off the onion.

Cut onion in half lengthwise (from stem end to root end).

Lay each half with flat side down on cutting board. Slice each half into 1/4 inch strips lengthwise.

These pieces will match the shape of the chard strips and make it easier to cook and easier to eat.

Use a small dish to smash each garlic clove.

Now you can easily peel the papery skin off the garlic.

Slice garlic cloves into thin strips lengthwise.

Cut the garlic strips crosswise– now you have diced garlic.

Continue to chop the diced garlic a bunch of times until all the diced pieces are smaller and fairly evenly sized. Pieces should now be about 1/16th of an inch or less. This is more like minced garlic. It makes the flavor disperse through the dish better than big chunks.

 

Cook:

     

Now that everything is prepped, turn your stove burner on to medium high (6 out of 10) and wait for the grease to melt.

Transfer onion to pan and…

stir occasionally about 10 minutes until the edges of the onion pieces are brown. Now you have caramelization and it tastes much better than raw onion.

Add garlic to pan and stir for about a minute. Don’t let the garlic brown or it will be bitter. Reduce the heat if necessary.

Turn the heat down to medium low (4 out of 10).

Pile the chard into the pan. It will cook down to about 1/3 the original volume, so don’t worry!

After a minute or two, stir the chard with the onion mixture. Cook another couple of minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add broth, salt and pepper to pan.

I love Celtic Sea Salt– has more flavor than kosher or table salt plus it has trace minerals not present in regular salt. I use a big pinch  of it and about 1/2 tsp. of pepper. It’s always a good idea to add a little less than you think you’ll need, then taste and add more if you want.

Reduce burner heat to low (2 out of 10)

 

Cover pan with a lid and cook for 15 minutes, no need to stir. Sing your favorite 80′s one-hit-wonder song from beginning to end several times while doing interpretive dance.

Uncover pan, add smoked paprika and stir. Stir in sherry vinegar. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.

Serve immediately, adding hot sauce if you are that kind of (fabulous) person!