Sauteed Swiss Chard

After avoiding chard for many years, I finally succumbed to its beauty and tried cooking some. What a wonderful surprise! It has a delicate lemony flavor with a bit of pungency -- not bitter or strong. The texture is a little denser than spinach, and I think the flavor is brighter.

The recipe below is very simple and fast to make. The lemon juice highlights the lemony nature of the chard and the garlic... well, garlic complements everything!



Sauteed Swiss Chard
Serves 2-4

1 Tb butter
1 Tb olive oil
~1 Tb fresh lemon juice (optional)
1/2 tsp fresh garlic, minced
1 bunch Swiss chard

Cut the stems out of the chard and slice them. Cut the leaves into 1-inch pieces, keeping them separate from the stems.

In a skillet over medium-high heat, saute the sliced stems in the butter and oil until they are tender. Then add the lemon juice, garlic and the chard leaves. Stir until the leaves are wilted and tender, about 4 or 5 minutes. Serve.