Chard is a tall leafy green vegetable commonly referred to as Swiss chard and scientifically known as Beta vulgaris. Chard belongs to the same family as beets and spinach and shares a similar taste profile with a flavor that is bitter, pungent, and slightly salty. Swiss chard is truly one of the vegetable valedictorians with its exceptionally impressive list of health-promoting nutrients.
Choose chard that is held in a chilled display as this will help to ensure that it has a crunchier texture and sweeter taste. Look for leaves that are vivid green in color and that do not display any browning or yellowing. The leaves should not be wilted nor should they have tiny holes. The stalks should look crisp and be unblemished.
Do not wash Swiss chard before storing as the exposure to water encourages spoilage. Place chard in a plastic storage bag and wrap the bag tightly around the chard, squeezing out as much of the air from the bag as possible. Place in refrigerator where it will keep fresh for up to 5 days. If you have large batches of chard, you can blanch the leaves and then freeze them.
Tips for Preparing Swiss Chard
Rinse Swiss chard under cold running water. Do not soak chard as this will result in the loss of water-soluble nutrients to the water. Remove any area of the leaves that may be brown, slimy, or have holes.Stack the leaves and slice into 1-inch slices until you reach the stems. Only the white stems of the Fordhook variety of chard are tender enough to eat. Cut stems into 1/2-inch slices discarding the bottom 1 inch portion. We don't recommend cooking the stems of the varieties with colored stems.
Swiss chard is only one of three vegetables we recommend boiling to free up acids and allowing them to leach into the boiling water; this brings out a sweeter taste from the chard. Discard the boiling water after cooking; do not drink it or use it for stock because of its acid content.
Use a large pot (3 quart) with lots of water and bring to a rapid boil. Add chard to the boiling water. If stems are more than 1-inch wide, cook them for 2 minutes before adding the leaves. If less than 1 inch in width you can boil the leaves and stems together for 3 minutes. Begin timing as soon as you place the chard in the pot if you are using 1 pound or less of chard. If you are cooking large quantities of chard bring the water back to a boil before beginning timing the 3 minutes. Do not cover the pot when cooking chard. Leaving the pot uncovered helps to release more of the acids with the rising steam.
While we have not seen research on cooking, Swiss chard, and oxalates, there is some research on this topic with another chenopod family vegetable, spinach. Research has shown that the boiling of spinach in large amounts of water helps decrease the oxalic acid content by as much as 50%.
Chickpea, Ham and Swiss Chard Soup
Ingredients
3 slices bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 large carrot, diced
1 (6-ounce) piece smoked ham steak, diced into 1/4-inch cubes
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1 small bunch Swiss chard, stemmed and sliced into thin ribbons
1 quart low-sodium chicken broth
1 (16-ounce) can chickpeas or black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
Hot sauce, as needed
Worcestershire sauce, as needed
Grated Parmesan, for garnish
Directions
Add the bacon to a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium heat. Fry until crisp, then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and reserve. To the same Dutch oven, add the onion, garlic, and carrot, and saute until the vegetables are tender, roughly 4 minutes. Add the ham steak and red pepper flakes and adjust the seasonings with salt and black pepper, to taste. Add the Swiss chard and saute until it begins to soften.
Stir in the chicken broth, chickpeas or black-eyed peas, and the canned tomatoes with their juices. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and let cook for 30 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if necessary. Splash with some hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Ladle the soup into serving bowls and sprinkle each serving with Parmesan cheese and bacon.
3 slices bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 large carrot, diced
1 (6-ounce) piece smoked ham steak, diced into 1/4-inch cubes
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1 small bunch Swiss chard, stemmed and sliced into thin ribbons
1 quart low-sodium chicken broth
1 (16-ounce) can chickpeas or black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
Hot sauce, as needed
Worcestershire sauce, as needed
Grated Parmesan, for garnish
Directions
Add the bacon to a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium heat. Fry until crisp, then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and reserve. To the same Dutch oven, add the onion, garlic, and carrot, and saute until the vegetables are tender, roughly 4 minutes. Add the ham steak and red pepper flakes and adjust the seasonings with salt and black pepper, to taste. Add the Swiss chard and saute until it begins to soften.
Stir in the chicken broth, chickpeas or black-eyed peas, and the canned tomatoes with their juices. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and let cook for 30 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if necessary. Splash with some hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Ladle the soup into serving bowls and sprinkle each serving with Parmesan cheese and bacon.
Chicken Pasta with Mushrooms and Chard
Ingredients
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
Kosher salt
1 pound farfalle pasta
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large or 2 small shallots, sliced
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
One 12-ounce bunch Swiss chard, center stems removed and leaves chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature (8 ounces)
2 store-bought rotisserie chicken breasts, diced into 1/2-inch pieces to yield 2 cups of meat
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
Kosher salt
1 pound farfalle pasta
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large or 2 small shallots, sliced
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
One 12-ounce bunch Swiss chard, center stems removed and leaves chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature (8 ounces)
2 store-bought rotisserie chicken breasts, diced into 1/2-inch pieces to yield 2 cups of meat
Directions
Boil the broth and mushrooms over medium-high heat in a small saucepan. Turn off the heat and allow the mushrooms to soften in the liquid, about 20 minutes. Remove the mushrooms and coarsely chop. Reserve the liquid.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the pasta until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and reserve about 1 cup pasta water.
Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick saute pan. Add the shallots mushrooms, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook until the shallots are soft, about 3 minutes. Add the chard in batches and cook until wilted, about 7 minutes. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon salt and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the mascarpone cheese. Stir until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Add the mushroom mixture, chicken and the reserved mushroom-cooking liquid to the pasta. Add reserved pasta water if necessary. Toss until all the ingredients are coated and serve.
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