Rainbows in My Chard #sautéedchard by @LeslieKarst

 

The first time I saw rainbow chard lo these many years ago, I was shocked. How could the humble Swiss chard that I had grown up with have transformed itself into so many psychedelic colors? Well, it turns out that chard—which is related to the beet family—has come in numerous hues for millennia. The only reason we used to be limited to buying the green and white Swiss chard in the past is because it is the most productive—and hence most profitable—variety.

Rainbow chard, however, has become wildly popular of late, and its bright red, yellow, pink and white stalks are now ubiquitous at our local farmers’ markets from late winter all through the summer.


A few nights ago for dinner I sautéed a bunch of rainbow chard, using a quick and simple recipe that works for pretty much any kind of greens (or—in this case—red-yellow-pink-greens).

Rainbow Chard Sautéed With Bacon and Pine Nuts
(yield: 3-4 servings)

 

Ingredients for Chard

1 bunch rainbow chard (or other greens)
¼ cup bacon, thinly sliced
¼ cup pine nuts (raw or roasted)
2 T vinaigrette (recipe follows the chard recipe, or use bottled if you prefer)
salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

Cut the leaves from the chard stalks, and slice the stalks thinly and chop the greens coarsely. Keep them separate.


Fry the bacon in a large sturdy pan (cast iron works great), cooking it slowly to release as much fat as possible. When the bacon is starting to get crisp, add the chard stems to the fat and bacon in the pan, turn up the flame a bit and continue cooking until the stems are almost done. I pull a few out periodically to test their crunchiness.


Next add the pine nuts to the pan,

 

and continue frying until the nuts are heated through. This can now all sit until right before the rest of the meal is ready.


Right before service, turn the fire on high under the pan, and when everything has gotten good and hot again, dump in the chard leaves, and cook them, stirring often, until they are just starting to wilt. Finish off the dish by drizzling the vinaigrette over the greens. Stir, sprinkle with salt and black pepper, and it’s ready to eat. (You likely won't need much--if any--salt, because of the salt in the bacon.)



Dijon Vinaigrette (yield: a little over ½ cup)

Here’s the recipe for what Robin calls my “house dressing.” It keeps well in the fridge; just remember to take it out about a half hour before you need it, and give it a stir before using it. You can add more or less of the seasonings and sugar, to taste.

2 T Dijon mustard
¼ t garlic powder
¼ t ground black pepper
1 t sugar
2 T balsamic vinegar
½ cup olive oil
1 t water

Mix the mustard, garlic powder, pepper, sugar and vinegar together in a bowl, and stir until smooth.

Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, using a wire whisk to mix it in. Don’t beat it too hard, or the olive oil can become bitter.

Finish it by whisking in the water. I find that this last step helps to thicken and bind the dressing. 

 

🍃  🐖  🌱

The daughter of a law professor and a potter, Leslie Karst learned early, during family dinner conversations, the value of both careful analysis and the arts—ideal ingredients for a mystery story. Putting this early education to good use, she now writes the Lefty Award-nominated Sally Solari Mysteries, a culinary series set in Santa Cruz, California.

An ex-lawyer like her sleuth, Leslie also has degrees in English literature and the culinary arts. She and her wife and their Jack Russell mix split their time between Santa Cruz and Hilo, Hawai‘i.

Leslie’s website
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