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Ingredient Spotlight: All About Swiss Chard

June 10, 2016 By justalittlebitofbacon 2 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using my link. Click here for details.

I know kale is the new favorite green, but Swiss chard is a wonderful, tasty, and healthy green you should have in your diet! Looking for a little more information about it and maybe a few ideas on how to use it beyond a simple saute? Well then, this is the post for you.

Ingredient Spotlight: Swiss Chard - Swiss chard is a wonderful, hearty green that is great in soups, gratins, pastas, and many other recipes. Its flavor is a cross between spinach and beets and you'll love cooking with it once you give it a try. | justalittlebitofbacon.com

As with last month’s ingredient spotlight for rhubarb, I have some bullet points about Swiss chard – such as what it is, where it comes from, and nutritional info; and then I have a roundup of links to other recipes for chard. Onto the info!

Ingredient Spotlight: Swiss Chard - Swiss chard is a wonderful, hearty green that is great in soups, gratins, pastas, and many other recipes. Its flavor is a cross between spinach and beets and you'll love cooking with it once you give it a try. | justalittlebitofbacon.com

What is it?

Swiss chard – also known as silverbeet, spinach-chard, or just spinach – is a leafy green with a thick, colorful rib going up the middle. It is closely related to beets (they have the same ancestor), but instead of cultivating them for the root as in beets, people wanted the flavorful leaves. Swiss chard comes in red rib varieties, white rib varieties, mixed (rainbow) varieties. Young chard is quite tender and can be used directly in salads. Mature chard is generally cooked in sautes, soups, and gratins. Chard is a cool weather plant, and you generally see fresh chard in the spring and in the fall. It is more heat tolerant than many of the cool weather greens, but you’ll get the best flavor when the weather isn’t too warm.

Where does it come from?

Swiss chard is very popular in Mediterranean cooking and is a descendant of the sea beet, which is found all along the coasts of Europe, Northern Africa, and Southern Asia. Sea beets were first cultivated thousands of years ago (over 4000 years!) in the Mediterranean, giving rise to sugar beets, beetroot, and Swiss chard. However, Swiss chard is not commonly found or used in Switzerland. Why is it called Swiss chard then? We’re not completely certain. Perhaps it was named Swiss for the Swiss scientist that classified it, or it was named to separate it from spinach, or maybe the previous name of Sicula (indicating its history in Sicily) got shifted into Swiss over the years.

What does it taste like?

Whatever the reason for its name, all I know is it’s tasty! The flavor is very similar to spinach. A little salty, a little bitter (especially larger, older leaves), and I find it also a bit sweet – probably from its relationship to beets. In fact, I’d say that there is a very appealing hint of beet in chard leaves and stems.  Swiss chard can be used in any recipe that calls for cooking spinach or kale or greens, such as turnip greens or beet greens.

What’s the nutritional info?

Do you want healthy? Then Swiss chard is for you! It’s packed full of vitamins A, C, and K; is a great source of different minerals; and has fair amount of the B vitamins, iron, and calcium. Also, flavonoids! It has flavonoids, such as syringic acid, which is important in regulating blood sugar, as well as ones that are antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and with detoxifying effects.

Ingredient Spotlight: Swiss Chard - Swiss chard is a wonderful, hearty green that is great in soups, gratins, pastas, and many other recipes. Its flavor is a cross between spinach and beets and you'll love cooking with it once you give it a try. | justalittlebitofbacon.com

How do you cook it?

Now that I’ve told you what it tastes like and why you should give it a try, here are a few recipes using Swiss chard which will take you beyond the simple saute. Not that there is anything wrong with a simply sauteed chard, but it’s nice to have a few other ideas.

  1. Double-Dutch Mac and Cheese with Chard – mac and cheese + greens! Healthy and yummy.
  2. Bietola e Patate (Swiss Chard and Potatoes) – by Lidia Bastianich for classic Italian take on chard.
  3. Greek Swiss Chard Pie – love spanakopita? Try this recipe for hortopita featuring Swiss chard.
  4. Swiss Chard Pancakes – it’s time for some French cuisine.
  5. Garlicky Lentil Soup with Swiss Chard and Lemon – rusta is a great classic Lebanese soup featuring chard and lentils.
  6. Orecchiette with Swiss Chard, Brown Butter & Walnuts – because sometimes you want a quick and yummy pasta dish.

And of course I have a few recipes myself (this list will be updated as I add more recipes to the site):

Swiss Chard Chips - Don't know what to do with chard? Family won't eat it? Try this recipe where Swiss chard leaves are tossed in bacon fat and baked to crispness to make addictively yummy chard chips. | justalittlebitofbacon.com
1. Swiss Chard Chips
Easy Swiss Chard Gratin - This easy chard gratin is all about the greens as they are cooked in milk and then topped with breadcrumbs and a handful of parmesan. This a great gratin for when you have more greens than you know what to do with - chard, kale, turnip greens, beet greens, spinach. Try a mix of different greens! | justalittlebitofbacon.com
2. Easy Swiss Chard Gratin

Save

Ingredient Spotlight: Swiss Chard - Swiss chard is a wonderful, hearty green that is great in soups, gratins, pastas, and many other recipes. Its flavor is a cross between spinach and beets and you'll love cooking with it once you give it a try. | justalittlebitofbacon.com

Related Posts:

  • 10 Great Ways to Cook Swiss Chard
    10 Great Ways to Cook Swiss Chard
  • Swiss Chard Chips
    Swiss Chard Chips
  • Easy Sauteed Butternut Squash with Swiss Chard
    Easy Sauteed Butternut Squash with Swiss Chard
  • A Guide to the Spring Farmers' Market
    A Guide to the Spring Farmers' Market
  • Easy Spring Greens Swiss Chard Gratin
    Easy Spring Greens Swiss Chard Gratin
  • Ingredient Spotlight: Mild, Sweet Hakurei Turnips
    Ingredient Spotlight: Mild, Sweet Hakurei Turnips

Filed Under: fall, ingredient spotlight, roundup post, spring Tagged With: swiss chard

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Justalittlebitofbacon is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Comments

  1. Julie says

    June 16, 2016 at 2:30 pm

    Your photos are just amazing, and I really learned a lot in this post. I haven’t cooked swiss chard.

    Reply
    • justalittlebitofbacon says

      June 17, 2016 at 12:26 pm

      Thank you! I’m glad it was informative. I hope you try some swiss chard now. 🙂

      Reply

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Hello, I’m Annemarie

Welcome to my kitchen! I’m a Italian-American girl who loves fresh foods, local ingredients, and all sorts of comfort foods. Here you will find Mediterranean flavors and recipes from a New England perspective.

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