Quick and tasty are two adjectives we like when referring to food. In today's world, many things need to be quick in order to keep someone's attention and meet lifestyle demands. So, we are trying to meet that need by keeping this entry quick, too.
Swiss chard is a vegetable. It is one of the many greens (horta) that we grow in the garden and eat at most meals. But, we like a little variety in our regular choices, and today, our variety was Red Swiss Chard. It may appear as if it is an overgrown rhubarb plant, or it may remind you of beet greens, but it is a class all its own. Swiss chard, like other dark leafy greens, provides us with vitamins A, C, and K, along with giving us a healthy dose of iron. It is less bitter than dandelions, and less fibrous than kale. Swiss chard is nice choice when picking green vegetables because of its neutral flavours and lovely appearances. Any dark leafy green would work here, but the red Swiss chard was today's choice. And, with a variety of health benefits, it is understandable why the Greeks (and many Italians) have horta with every meal.
One of the things that we often use, just to add a little more flavour, is to add Vegeta Food Seasoning to the water before boiling (Vegeta, from what we have read is the biggest exporting company in Croatia. They produce a variety of flavours; the one we use exclusively, is the one without MSG). The use of Vegeta is optional, and there are other choices. Some folks may instead choose to add a specific herb to the water (e.g. dill, oregano, parsley) which then cooks the herb as part of the dish. Or, you could add just a little salt if you prefer, but, for us, Vegeta is the blend of seasonings that we often enjoy to enhance greens we are cooking. Essentially, the variety of Vegeta we are using in today's recipe is salt, dehydrated carrots, celery, parsnips, Please note that those who have sodium reduced diets are advised to consider using a reduced amount or none at all. We do, however, believe that a small amount of salt is necessary to add a savoury flavour to this dish.
The red Swiss chard has a sweetness that is complemented by the Vegeta. Please note that we make sure to buy the one with NO MSG.
Here is our typical way of preparing red Swiss chard (or greens of any kind):
You will need a pot 1/3 to 1/2 full of water
Vegeta Food Seasoning (optional)
Red Swiss Chard (any greens)
Oil and Lemon juice, to taste
Get the pot of water ready, on the stove, set to boil. You can turn on the burner now because you want the water at a full rolling boil before adding the greens. Then, if you are using Vegeta or another seasoning, add it to the water so it has time to fully dissolve and reconstitute. Mix well to assure even distribution of the seasonings in the water. While the water is heating and coming to a boil, you can get the red Swiss chard ready.
Cut off the bottom part of the stem. This is the part that is too stringy, fibrous, and hard to chew. Unless you are going to cut this into the smallest pieces you can, it is best to discard the lower stems. We do, however, leave the upper stems on, keeping together the leaves. If you want to spend the time to remove the leaves from the stems, you can, but we do not see the benefit of that.
Wash the Swiss chard well. We run it under the water, turn it in the colander, and rinse under more running water. It takes a few minutes, but we want to assure that the leaves are well rinsed. Because they are wavy leaves, sometimes dirt or bugs can get caught in there, so rinse extremely well. Then, drain all the water that you can off the Swiss chard so it does not drip too much as you transfer the leaves to the pot of boiling water.
Drop the red Swiss chard into the boiling water. You can use a spoon or utensil to push the leaves down and make sure they are covered, but greens shrink as they cook, so you will see the Swiss chard get fully submerged on its own.
Now, put a cover on the pot. This allows the heat to stay in the pot and keep the water at a full boil. The cooking time is 4 minutes for this, with the lid on. If you choose not to put a lid on the water, then the cooking time may be a bit longer. We found that 4 minutes was enough to give us that bright green colour, and make the chard velvety without a crunch. Less than 3 minutes of cooking did not soften the stems enough, and the Swiss chard was not as enjoyable.
As the water boils, the dehydrated vegetables (carrots, parsley leaves, celery, parsnips) begin to rehydrate and become highly visible. Can you see these veggies above?
After the 4 minutes of cooking, remove the Swiss chard from the pot. You can use whatever utensil is easiest for you -- a spider, tongs, slotted spoon... We keep some of the liquid to use in smoothies, add to other dishes instead of stock, or to just drink as a juice (it is actually quite tasty, especially with a splash of lemon). The nutrients that are in there from the vegetables are still very beneficial. You will see, also, the small bits and bites of the dehydrated vegetables from the Vegeta. Those are now reconstituted veggies that add to the mouth feel of the dish! And, you will notice that some of the cooking liquid is served with the Swiss chard. That's fine, it just adds to the ζουμό ("juice") served with the dish.
Now, generously pour some oil (olive oil in our case) all over the dish. The Swiss chard already shines, but the oil enhances that shine. Then, you want to squeeze some fresh lemon juice on top. Remove seeds before juicing the lemon. We use the hand-held juicer for this so that we can move around the top of the dish to try to cover everything. Bottled lemon juice will work, too, but we like the freshness of a fresh lemon. You can also serve a lemon wedge with this for each person to add his or her own lemon to the vegetables. We cannot tell you how much to add; it is more trial and error for your personal preferences. But, when serving χόρτα, the traditional way is to just pour some oil and lemon all over the dish, and serve. It's hard to have the wrong amount, and it is even harder to have bad greens.
Jesus Christ - Book of Acts: Romans 12:14-16
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