It was bound to happen. 200 posts and eight months after I started this blog, today is the first time I have cooked Swiss chard. It is widely available in the New York area – what isn’t? – and yet I rarely eat it. I don’t use it much because the oxalates trump the body’s ability to absorb the calcium in the chard. So why did I choose to cook it this morning? It’s been a long, snowy winter. I needed to taste and chew something completely new. Swiss chard it was.
serves one
INgredients
4 large Swiss chard leaves
scant pinch sea salt
1 teaspoon unpasteurized apple cider vinegar
1 generous Tablespoon pine nuts
Process Dry roast the pine nuts. Heat a cast iron or stainless steel skillet on a medium flame for about 30 seconds. Add the nuts to the pan and use cooking chopsticks to turn them, exposing all sides to the heat. When the nuts begin to turn a golden brown,
lower the heat and remove them from the pan. Set them aside. Wash the Swiss chard leaves well by immersing them in a bowl of cold water. If desired, trim the rough end of the chard. Cut the leaves into half-inch-wide ribbons.
Fill a medium stainless steel skillet with about two inches of water and a scant pinch of sea salt. Place the pan on a medium to high flame and cook until the water boils. Add the chard to the pan. Allow it to wilt and turn a brighter shade of green. This should take a minute or two. Add the cider vinegar; allow it to disperse and then remove the greens with a wire mesh skimmer.
Arrange them in a bowl. Top with the roasted pine nuts and serve.
©Nancy Wolfson-Moche 2014
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