"I'm taking cooking advice from a dog"

[theweaselking]

And other reasons John is no longer allowed in the kitchen unsupervised.

So! Since I have a massive pile of veggies to get through, I decided to try glenn_3's suggestion of "Chard, with bacon" to use up my Chard.

Short version: REALLY DAMN GOOD. Would be better if Chard didn't kind of taste like dirt, but it made the Chard awesome regardless, and other people who like earthy greens more than me are waxing rhapsodic over it. So: A great recipe, and will be used again on more chard or spinach or something if those show up.

Reproducing recipe here to add notes and prevent linkrot:
SAUTEED CHARD WITH BACON



Ingredients:

* "A cup of bacon, diced". No, seriously. A cup. Of bacon. This recipe is AWESOME ALREADY.
* Two cloves garlic, minced. The original says to just "crush" and add whole, but then it tells you to take the garlic out. Who the fuck takes garlic OUT of a recipe? No. Garlic, minced, STAYS IN.
* A pinch of dried chili peppers
* one bunch Swiss Chard
* 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth.

Preparation:

1. Remove the stems from the chard. Slice the stems small (~2cm lengths), slice the leaves larger (large bite-sized chunks). Keep them separate.
2. Lightly coat a big frying pan with olive oil and heat to medium-high. Add the peppers, garlic, and bacon. Fry. Stir.
3. When the bacon is browning and sticky and slightly crispy, add the chard stems and the broth. Stir. Fry. (If you are taking out the garlic then you take it out before this step. But seriously, WHO TAKES GARLIC OUT?)
4. When the broth is almost totally gone (NB you will still have liquid left, because the bacon grease and the olive oil will NOT evaporate when the broth does) add the chard leaves. Stir. Fry. Stir. Stir more. Sautee.
5. When the leaves have wilted, remove from heat, add salt, and serve.



This is..... pretty much as delicious as chard (a spinach-like leaf vegetable with an earthier, more beet-like taste) is likely to get. Although I'll certainly try one of the other chard recipes if they give me more, the THIRD chard bunch is totally going to be this one again.

Comments

[drcuriosity]

I grew up on silverbeet (or swiss chard, as North Americans tend to call it). Coming from English stock, we had it boiled. I learned to enjoy it a whole lot more once I figured out you could lightly steam the leaves rather than trying to swallow a bitter, soggy mess.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

Try this recipe!

[drcuriosity]

I do believe I will! Tempted to try it with bok choi, also.
Either way, the garlic stays in.

[dscotton.livejournal.com]

Did you wash the chard? There's nothing about the taste of properly prepared chard that I perceive as dirtlike. I love chard.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

I did wash it, thoroughly. But I'm also part of the 20% of humanity with the genetic factor that makes cilantro taste like soap. And I suspect it might be related.

[alumiere.livejournal.com]

Hmmm... instead of using broth, you might like starting with a quick blanche (boil h2o, add stems, 2 minutes later add leaves, drain after 2 more minutes) them sautee with garlic/bacon/etc. If pretty color is important, after drainin put chard into ice water for 5 mins then drain again. That'll help with the earthyness.

And adding grated parmesean or romano plus a pat of butter to finish will make it creamier. We've been cooking all sorts of greens this way, and they're surprisingly tasty, especially given how much I used to dislike them.

[ardys-the-ghoul.livejournal.com]

Sadly, if I tried to eat this I would probably die horribly.

Well, no I wouldn't, but I'd spend the evening running back and forth to the bathroom, in a great deal of pain.

Therefore, I will have to take your word for it that it was delicious.

[cleodhna.livejournal.com]

I crush garlic. Smash it with the bottom of a pot or the flat if a knife. I swoosh it around in its skin and then, when the recipe says I should take it out, I don't. Somewhere in the dinner there will be a beautiful, fragrant, smashable, delectable clove of garlic, still in its skin, waiting for you, charred maybe, stewed maybe, as the dish demands. Wo needs pudding when you've got this?

[jehannamama.livejournal.com]

I adore chard fixed this way. Usually turkey bacon for us. I often add a spot of Bragg's vinegar to the pot, right at the end. The acid really perks it up. Might do away with that earthy flavor you're getting. I don't pick that up if the chard is young enough.

[skreidle.livejournal.com]

Cilantro doesn't taste like soap to me, but I don't care for it at all. And I like chard. :D

[skreidle.livejournal.com]

That was quite tasty, thank you! :)

(Finally got around to making it -- with homegrown chard!)

[skreidle.livejournal.com]

Tried again, this time with less bacon, drained grease before adding chard, and used balsamic vinegar instead of broth. Tasty again! And not nearly so greasy.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

... half a cup of vinegar?

Ewwwww.

I admit to draining the grease the last couple of times, but I wouldn't add vinegar.

[skreidle.livejournal.com]

I don't thin I actually used half a cup -- didn't actually measure -- but I spun that off of my previously-found Swiss chard recipe, which amounted to "sauté garlic in olive oil, add balsamic vinegar, add sliced chard leaves, simmer until wilted" -- so I already knew the vinegar worked, and it worked even better with bacon and chili pepper. :)