Swiss Chard

So one of my goals for this year is to try a new recipe each week and also to blog about it (because I love getting recipes from people, so I thought I would share). I have 4 lovely Swiss Chard plants growing right outside my door and I finally decided to try and cook some (also, the tall stalks were kept breaking off in the wind+rain so I figured they were ready). I think when I bought and planted the chard, I thought I would use the chard in a salad, but apparently it's supposed to be cooked, because those were the only kind of recipes I could find. My new favorite channel is the Food Network and they have a great website too. This recipe is the Neeley's (if you've never seen their show, they are a married couple) and can be found here.

Ingredients:

• 2 large bunches Swiss chard
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
  
• 4 strips thick-sliced bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

Directions:

Slice the stems into 1-inch pieces and reserve. Stack the chard leaves into a pile. Roll together into a bundle and slice into 1/2-inch ribbons.

Heat oil to a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the bacon and saute until browned, rendering the fat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until translucent. Add chard stems, cook for 3 to 4 minutes, then season with salt and pepper.

Begin to add the chard ribbons in batches. Once the chard wilts down, add the next batch. Stir occasionally until completely tender, about 5 minutes.

The finished product

I tried to cut back the quantities a bit because I didn't quite have 2 large bunches to pick and because it was just for me. Adjust accordingly, depending on your tastes. I left out the red pepper flakes because I'm not into spice. One tip I read was to just cook the onions and garlic in the bacon grease and then add the olive oil and balsamic vinegar with the chard ribbons because rendering the bacon grease seemed to just get rid of the oil.

Anyway, it turned out pretty good. I will cook the stems longer next time (probably the same as the onions and garlic) because they were still pretty crunchy. The flavor was different, but good...kind of like cooked spinach. And of course everything is better with bacon. :-)