Mediterranean Braised Chard Recipe
By
Ana Sortun
Difficulty: Easy |
Total Time:
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Active Time:
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Makes:
4 servings
Ana Sortun, chef and owner of the Mediterranean Oleana restaurant in Cambridge, Massachusetts, gave us this recipe for braised chard. She sneaks a few anchovies in for unexpected complexity.
Game plan: This recipe can be made with beet, mustard, turnip, or older dandelion greens in place of the chard; serve it with grilled meat or fish, or eat the greens on their own with a dollop of tangy yogurt.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 bunches Swiss chard, washed, thoroughly dried, and stems trimmed
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 medium white onion, minced
- 4 anchovy fillets, rinsed and finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons golden raisins
- 2 teaspoons capers, rinsed
- 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup whole pitted black olives, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
- Juice of 1/2 medium lemon
INSTRUCTIONS
- Slice chard stems from leaves. Coarsely chop stems and set aside; cut leaves crosswise into 1-inch-wide strips and set aside.
- Heat oil and butter in a medium frying pan over medium-high heat. Once butter foams, add onion, anchovies, and raisins and cook until onion is softened and anchovies have broken down into a paste.
- Add capers and garlic and cook until garlic is fragrant and lightly browned. Immediately add chard stems and cook until they start to brown.
- Add chard leaves, reduce heat to medium, and cook until chard wilts, about 10 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cook until lemon juice cooks off, about 5 to 6 minutes. Serve immediately.
Delicious! Made with red chard and it was very pretty. Followed recipe exactly, except didn't add salt; agree with others who say extra salt isn't needed
Whatever you do, do not add any salt! The combination of anchovies, olives, and capers does enough. This is a nice dish!
This was super! I used half regular and half red swiss chard and it made a gorgeous plate. Next I'm going to try it as a filling for a white lasagna. How could that not be wonderful?
To calfoodie88 (or anyone else wanting isicilian's bread recipe) - when you click on the link provided it adds extra info after marianne/ in the address. If you delete everything after marianne/ or enter the address manually into your browser you'll find the recipe. Can't wait to try it myself!
Isicilian I need that bread recipe, the URL you stated doesn't seem to be active. The chard is magnificent on it's own, but as far as a side it would be fine as well. As far as bread goes, I totally agree with the above statement. It's like the glue to this wonderful veggie dish!
This was delicious, quick, easy and healthy! I didn't use pine nuts or raisins but it came out wonderful.
As a Sicilian, vegetable dishes are always my favorite. The best accompaniment for this dish is a great loaf of bread. Finding a good loaf of bread is no easy task, that's why I make it myself. Find my easy Sicilian bread recipe at
http://isicilian.boonrepublic.com/2009/06/14/crusty-italian-bread-by-marianne/
I have made this 3 or 4 times now and each time it is wonderful.
A couple of times I didn't have enough chard, so I put some mushrooms in and it was great.
The first few times I didn't have any anchovies, pine nuts or olives and it was still wonderful.
Also, I always used plain raisins.
I love to use this as stuffing for wraps in whole wheat tortillas. Even better with some grilled...+READ
I have made this 3 or 4 times now and each time it is wonderful.
A couple of times I didn't have enough chard, so I put some mushrooms in and it was great.
The first few times I didn't have any anchovies, pine nuts or olives and it was still wonderful.
Also, I always used plain raisins.
I love to use this as stuffing for wraps in whole wheat tortillas. Even better with some grilled fish in there. YUM!-COLLAPSE
This is great served with white beans too.
Makes a great veg entree served on polenta.
I loved this, but just one tip--with the anchovies, olives, and capers it does NOT need additional salt!!
I've made this dish without anchovies for vegetarians and it turned out fine. It did however require the addition of extra salt early on in the cooking process to compensate for the salty fishes' absence.
I love this dish and have made something similar (Sicilian-inspired) for many years.
I do hope she informs any potential vegetarian or fish-allergy sufferer guests about the anchovies, however. I love them, but not everyone can eat them.
I loved the sweetness of the raisins with the savory flavors of the pine nuts and the capers. I used large capers and they added to the presentation. The subtle flavor of the anchovies added a richness, but my husband felt that a stronger anchovy flavor would be an improvement.