Skip to content

Braised swiss chard

  • Serves: 4
  • Date added: 2023-08-27

Description

I ate the chard alongside some roasted goat and wild hen of the woods mushrooms that I happened upon during a rare suburban stroll. Any roasted meat or poultry would pair nicely, but if I had to choose one, I'd recommend this with some lamb!

Ingredients

  • 1 large bunch of swiss chard (preferably "rainbow chard")
  • 1 medium or large yellow onion (I used 4 cipollinis), cut into a medium dice
  • 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
  • 3 Tbsp olive oil
  • 6 anchovies (ideally cured, but boquerones work as well)
  • 1 small hunk of proscuitto trim, or other cured pork product (optional)
  • something spicy: I crushed a couple Burlap & Barrel dried cobanero chiles, but typically I'd add a spoonful of Calabrian chili paste
  • 2 Tbsp pine nuts (or chopped walnuts, pumpkin seeds or even a few heaping spoons of cooked chickpeas or other beans)
  • 2 Tbsp dried cranberries (that's what I had, but I'd usually use golden raisins and dried currants work well)
  • .5 cup red wine
  • 2 cups canned tomato, lightly crushed
  • 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
  • salt, to taste

Directions

  1. Wash the chard and cut off the bottom inch or so of the stems.
  2. Line the chard up (if necessary, break the bunch into two piles) and cut the stems into roughly .33-inch slices. Maintain that thickness as you cut through the bottom third of the leaves (where the stems can remain thick) and then cut the remaining leaves and top of the stem into two or three wider slices. Maintain the structure of the pile, so that you can add the chard in stages.
  3. Add the oil and lightly smashed garlic cloves to a large pot or dutch oven and place over medium heat.
  4. When the garlic is toasted on one side, flip the cloves over and add the swiss chard stems and the diced onion and raise the heat to medium high. Sauté for a few minutes, allowing the vegetables to soften and brown lightly.
  5. Add the anchovies, cured pork, pine nuts, cranberries and chilis. Season lightly with salt.
  6. Cook for another few minutes, allowing the anchovies to break down and vegetables to caramelize.
  7. Deglaze with the red wine, using a wood spoon to scrape any fond off the bottom of the pan.
  8. Add the bottom third of the leaves (that are cut smaller than the upper leaves) and the canned tomato. Cook for 3-5 minutes and then add the remaining leaves and stir them in. If there ins't a couple inches of moisture at the bottom of the pot, add a splash of water (or stock if you have some).
  9. Now turn the heat down to low and make a cartouche (looks like a drop-lid made out of parchment paper)
  10. Let the greens simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding a splash of water if things get sticky on the bottom.
  11. Finish with the vinegar and salt as necessary.

Source

email from Huertas

Comments