Meet my favorite way to eat some leafy greens.
Because some days there's nothing better than a quick tossed leafy vegetable. Now flavor it with some garlic, nuts and dry fruits and you now have some drool worthy eats. And I don't mean just spinach.
Don't get me wrong, I luv spinach but it would be unfair to ignore the rest of Nature's bounty like kale, collard green, chard other such leafy lovelies. Swiss chard also known as silver beet greens is my new temptation and I try and find every excuse to fix it. Remember when I used it in that yummy, black eyed peas , roasted beets and edamame salad? Well if it doesn't ring a bell, look it up here.
Tonight, however it's serving as a side to a spectacular Spanish style Salmon A La Sidra. That and some crust bread...doesn't get much better than that!
A short list of ingredients is all that stands between you and a happy tummy - Swiss chard or silver beet greens, Spanish red onion, garlic cloves, raisins, pine nuts, ground nutmeg, salt, black pepper and olive oil.
Red onion - Peel, halve, quarter and cut into thin slices. Discard top and bottom tips.
Garlic cloves - Peel & crush
Swiss chard - Wash & discard the hard stems. Roughly chop the leaves into 1/2" thick chunks
Heat olive oil in a saute pan for a minute. Add the crushed garlic and onions. Saute on medium heat for about 3 minutes till softened.
Add the raisins and pine nuts and saute for about a minute till the pine nuts begin to slightly brown.
Add the cut swiss chard & stir. Cover immediately with a lid for about 3 minutes.
Though the chard on the top is still the raw the card at the bottom would have softened. Remove lid and saute the chard till it has all softened, about another 2 minutes. Season with ground nutmeg, salt and ground black pepper. Stir, taste & adjust seasonings.
And there you have it - a wonderful leafy, healthy side. The raisins, sweet red onions and pine nuts do wonders to complement the slight bitter undertones in the vegetable. This vibrant medley of flavors is wonderfully riveting on the palate.
Excellent with fish, chicken or red meat.
Recipe for
Sauteed Swiss Chard with Pine Nuts & Raisins
Preparation time - 10 minutes
Cooking time - 10 minutes
Serves 4
Shopping list
1 bunch swiss card or silver beets
1 medium red onion
3-5 garlic cloves
2 tbs pine nuts
2 tbs golden raisins or sultanas
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
Preparation -
Red onions - Peel, halve, quarter and cut into thin slices. Discard top and bottom tips.
Garlic cloves - Peel & crush
Swiss chard - Wash & discard the hard stems. Roughly chop the leaves into 1/2" thick chunks
Cooking method-
Heat olive oil in a saute pan for a minute. Add the crushed garlic and onions. Saute on medium heat for about 3 minutes till softened.
Add the raisins and pine nuts and saute for about a minute till the pine nuts begin to slightly brown.
Add the cut swiss chard & stir. Cover immediately with a lid for about 3 minutes.
Though the chard on the top is still the raw the card at the bottom would have softened. Remove lid and saute the chard till it has all softened, about another 2 minutes. Season with ground nutmeg, salt and ground black pepper. Stir, taste & adjust seasonings.
Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
