Balsamic Sesame Swiss Chard
Do you know what I find most great about Swiss Chard?
I mean, aside from the fact that it’s packed full of vitamins and minerals, and particularly known for its Vitamin K content?
The color. It’s such a deep green, and with unbelievably vibrant variegation. Typically red, sometimes orange or pink, but regardless they are almost always vividly neon. I like to flash steam mine, so that the color remains vibrant, and the leaves still have a bit of structure left. I personally cannot stand overcooked brown or mushy veggies *shudder*, so the flash steaming both retains much of the vitamin content, as well as keeps the color and integrity of the leaf.
Be warned: Swiss Chard, I’ve found, is very sandy/gritty, so be sure to rinse the leaves well. Leave them in your colander, don’t bother drying them well. We’re going to use the water that’s still on there to cook the Chard. In a very large, heavy bottomed skillet (with a cover), over medium to medium high heat, put EVOO (enough to thoroughly cover the bottom of the pan, so that the sesame seeds toast and don’t burn) and garlic (a clove or two, depending on your taste) in, and allow the garlic and sesame to sizzle up for a minute or two, allowing it to release some of their flavors into the oil.
Roughly tear the swiss chard into manageable chunks in the colander, and rinse again to make sure the dirt’s out. Take the colander over to the skillet, and put as much as you can in (avoiding splashing yourself with oil, of course!), as it will shrink drastically. Stir it up, and cover. I would say a minute to two is all you need; you’ll see the reduction in volume, and you’ll see the green and red (or whatever color the chard is) deepen. You’ll want to remove it from the heat when it looks like this:
Balsamic Sesame Swiss Chard
When you transfer from skillet to a serving dish, make sure to get what cooked on the top of the pan onto the plate first; that way, the toasted garlic and sesame pieces can be poured atop your Chard. Next, simply drizzle with some Balsamic vinegar (or any vinegar), shake on some salt and pepper, and Enjoy!
P.S. Swiss Chard has a higher sodium content than most other vegetables, so make sure to research if sodium is a problem for you!
Related posts:
- Speedy Sesame Seared Scallops
- Quick "Baked" Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Curried Cauli-Chard Soup
- Speedy Spiced Edamame
- How to easily cut a pepper
MikeMoffit
[...] with Smashed Fauxtatoes like I do, or some fresh Farmer’s Market -fresh Balsamic Sesame Swiss Chard! Related posts:Cyber Monday Crockpot [...]
[...] isn’t it? I bet it would be AMAZING with some of my Sesame Swiss Chard, Quick Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Quick Roasted Asparagus, or my Roasted Curried Chickpeas. Yum! [...]