Sauteed Swiss Chard
This simple side dish is healthy, filling, and comes together in less than 15 minutes. We usually add a bit of butter into the pan just as the leaves are finishing cooking, but you can just as easily omit this ingredient. The splash of vinegar brightens up the flavor of the greens, so don’t skip that step! If you don’t have vinegar on hand, mix in a bit of lemon zest and a squeeze of lemon juice instead.
Yield: about 4 servings
Ingredients
2 bunches of Swiss chard (about 12-14 leafy stems)
1 large shallot, halved and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon olive oil
Few splashes tarragon or champagne vinegar
1 tablespoon butter, cut into pieces (optional)
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
Separate the chard leaves from the stem by folding each leaf in half along the stem and running your knife just along the seam between the stem and leaf. Feel free to leave the tender narrow stem at the top of the leaf with the leaves (i.e. focus on separating the wider portion of the stem from the leaf).
Wash and dry the stems. Trim off the wide end of the stems and cut the remaining stems into about 1/2” slices. Rough chop the leaves and wash and lightly dry. We recommend using a salad spinner to just spin off some of the excess water - a bit of water on the leaves will help them steam a bit in the pan, so no need to fully dry.
Heat the olive oil over medium-high in a large saute pan (a wok-style pan works great for this). When the oil begins to shimmer, add the sliced stems to the pan and season with a bit of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 4-5 minutes. Add in the crushed garlic and sliced shallot. Cook another 4-5 minutes, until the stems are softened.
Add the damp chard leaves into the pan and toss to combine with the stems, shallot, and garlic. Season the greens with a bit of salt and pepper. Partially cover and cook for about 3-5 minutes, until the leaves have wilted.
Add a few sprinkles of vinegar over the greens, to taste (we recommend no more than a teaspoon or so). Toss to combine.
Optionally, add the pieces of butter into the pan with the greens after the vinegar is incorporated. Once melted, toss all to combine. Serve warm.
