THE MANY FACES OF CHARD

CRISPY CHARD CHIPS
The recipe is from the blog “A Full Measure of Happiness.”
Recommended by my daughter and the three girls who love them.
Bella—9, Amaya—7, and Ellie—3.

Ingredients

• 1 bunch chard (or kale, or any hearty green)
•  1-2 T olive oil
•  salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

• Rinse the chard leaves and tear them into pieces–they can be as large or small as you want–I went pretty large.
• Drizzle two cookie sheets with the olive oil and divide the chard pieces between them. Using your hands, toss the leaves with the olive oil until they are evenly coated.
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper (and other spices if you want–garlic salt, paprika, chili powder…go crazy!).
• Place on a middle rack in the oven and bake until dry and crispy, about 20 minutes.•Once they are cool, they shouldn’t stick to the bottom of the pan (thanks to the olive oil) but they may need to be gently loosened to remove them.
• You can store these in a Tupperware container or plastic baggies, but trust me, they’ll go pretty quickly.



Photo courtesy of Culinate



FRIED EGG SANDWICH WITH GARLICKY SWISS CHARD AND CHEDDAR

Recipe courtesy of Culinate

Introduction

If you prefer, kale may be substituted. Cheddar cheese is just a suggestion; feel free to substitute what you find at the market or happen to have in the refrigerator. It should be assertive; mild cheeses won’t stand up to the garlicky greens.

Ingredients
•1 large bunch Swiss chard, leaves trimmed from stems and rinsed; stems trimmed, rinsed, and chopped in ¼ inch long pieces
•4 T extra virgin olive oil
•3 garlic cloves, sliced thin
•Large pinch crushed red pepper flakes
•1 lemon, juiced
•1 small to medium red onion, sliced thinly
•½ tsp sugar
•4 large eggs
•2 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese, sliced thin or grated
•4 crusty rolls (such as ciabatta or Kaiser), split and lightly toasted if desired

Steps
1.Bring large saucepan filled with water to boil. Season generously with salt and add chard leaves. Simmer until just tender, about 2 minutes. Drain and cool under running water. Squeeze dry, chop coarsely and set aside.

2.Combine 2 tablespoons of oil, the garlic, and crushed pepper flakes in large, nonstick or well-seasoned skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until garlic just begins to color, about 2 minutes. Add greens and cook until glossy and covered in oil and garlic, about 2 minutes. Drizzle with lemon juice to taste; transfer to bowl and set aside.

3.Return pan to burner and reduce heat to medium. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to pan along with chard stems, onion, sugar, and large pinch salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions have softened and are beginning to brown, 7 to 10 minutes. Push onion and chard mixture to ring around outside of pan; add remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to center of pan and crack eggs evenly around center of pan. Season eggs with salt and pepper and cover pan. Cook until eggs are just set but yolks are still runny, 2 to 4 minutes. Top with cheese, recover, and cook until cheese has just melted, about 2 minutes longer. Divide greens evenly amongst rolls, top each roll with an egg, and spread onion mixture over top. Serve immediately.

SWISS CHARD STALKS GRATINEED WITH PARMESAN CHEESE
By Caroline Lewis, from the Caroline Lewis collection, via Culinate

Introduction
The trimmed stalks will keep in the refrigerator for several days.

Ingredients
•2 bunches chard, stalks only, leaves reserved for another use
•Unsalted butter
•Kosher salt
•2/3 cup Parmigianino Reggiano, freshly grated

Steps
1.Cut the chard stalks into pieces about 4 inches long, and wash them in cold water.
2.Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil, drop in the stalks, and cook at a moderate boil until they are tender, about 10–15 minutes, depending upon the maturity of the stalks. Drain and set aside.
3.Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
4.Smear the bottom and sides of a baking dish with butter. Place a layer of chard stalks on the bottom, trimming to fit if necessary to make a single layer. Sprinkle lightly with salt and with grated cheese, and dot sparingly with butter. Repeat the procedure, building up layers of stalks, until you have used them all. Sprinkle the top layer generously with Parmesan and dot thickly with butter.
5.Bake on the uppermost rack of the preheated oven until the cheese melts and forms a light, golden crust on top, about 15 to 18 minutes. Let settle a few minutes before serving.