How to Cook Swiss Chard Italian Style

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By Jeanne Grunert
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Swiss Chard Recipes or Chard Recipes

Chard or Swiss chard is a cool weather vegetable that slightly resembles spinach. Most gardeners plant Swiss chard in the spring by directly sowing seeds. It matures in about 60 days, forming tall stands of green leaves. Some varieties such as Swiss Chard "Bright Lights" have beautiful yellow, pink and ruby red stems that look almost too good to eat. But eat is what you do with chard and Swiss chard. Recipes to cook chard often call for it to be boiled. This Italian style Swiss chard recipe uses a little bit of fat and lots of taste to cook up a healthy side dish that's packed with vitamin A, vitamin C, fiber, minerals and antioxidants.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Three or more cups of fresh Swiss chard or green chard
Skillet
Three cloves of garlic
Sharp knife
Two tablespoons of butter or margarine
Fork
Cutting board

Step 1

Wash or rinse the fresh Swiss chard or chard thoroughly to clean off any dirt or insects. Pat dry with paper towel or allow to drain in a colander. With your hands, pull the green leafy part away from the stems. Compost or discard the stems. Rip the leaves up into one inch pieces. Set aside.
Step 2

Using a sharp knife, remove the skins from the garlic cloves and the ends. Slice the garlic up into very fine pieces.
Step 3

Heat two tablespoons of margarine or butter in the skillet. Once it is melted, place the garlic in the butter. Turn on the exhaust fan in your kitchen. Quickly saute the garlic. Do not burn it!
Step 4

Add the chard or Swiss chard pieces. Stir rapidly with a fork, allow the chard to wilt down. The skillet may look piled high with chard, but within a minute you may be surprised at how quickly it wilts down.
Step 5

Cook the chard for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly and allowing it to wilt completely. It will resemble spinach when it is finished cooking.
Step 6

When it is thoroughly cooked, plate each individual service or place it in a bowl to serve. For an extra Italian-flavor, add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes. Salt and pepper may be added to taste.