Sunday, October 3, 2010

My First Date with Chard

Actually, dates and chard would be delicious together!! Why didn't I think of that when I was making this? Definitely need to try that next time. But alas, it was the first time I'd bought chard. It's nutrional profile was tantalizing, and it's so striking in the produce aisle with it's deep green frills and slender red stillettos.

So I scooped up a bundle and home we went. Spoiler alert, it ended better for me than for chard.

Swiss Chard with BarleyServes 2 as main, 4 as side.

Cook 1 cup barley (or quinoa) according to package directions. If desired, add 1 peeled and cubed sweet potato during last 10-12 minutes of cooking.

In large saute pan, cook 6 strips bacon until crisp, drain and crumble.

Add to the drippings:
½ onion, thinly sliced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp crushed red pepper
If needed to coat, stir in 1-2 Tbsp butter

Cook until onion is softened, then add:
1 bunch red chard, chiffonaded
8 white mushrooms, sliced

Cook until chard is wilted. Then stir in:
Barley
2 tsp fresh oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

Note: Although the chard was beautiful when it was fresh, this recipe became very dirty colored from the mushrooms. A different variety of mushrooms could probably eliminate this problem, or saute them separately and mix them in at the end so they don't cook down with all the other ingredients. But it's a purely cosmetic issue and the taste was dense, earthy, and satisfying.

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