Chard - What do you do with it?

[GoingLoopyLou]

As above really, I have shed loads of it in the garden and don't know what to do with it.

I've done a chard and potato gratin, which wasn't very nice, so mostly I just serve it as a green veg BUT I dress it with oil and lemon first which makes it very nice indeed.

Don't you use it the same as you would spinach?

• young leaves can be eaten raw in salads etc, and bigger leaves cooked.

I think.

Leave it until last in the veg box and then throw it out because it has gone slimy at the bottom

I just steam it very briefly and eat like spinach - it is particularly good with earthy flavours like beetroot, lentils, goats cheese. It's also good in asian broth type soups instead of bok choi.

Cut out the hard stemish bit on the leaves and then shred the leaves into 1 inch slices, wash it and warm and soften it in a pan with a bit of oil and anything spicy you like - curry powder, jamaican spices - whatever takes your fancy. Take it out once it softens but before it turns into a dark green mush.

Very nice - we used to live on it in the depths of Africa when you could not get any veg at the shop.

shred it and layer it, uncooked, in lasagne (meat or veggie)

shred it then steam in 1 tblspn of water in large tight-lidded pan until wilted, then stir in creme fraiche and serve as cabbage substitute (great with sausage and mash)

stir fry

hth

Chard quiche - cut out stems and chop quite small, shred leaves. Fry stems with chopped onion until soft, pour into the bottom of a par baked pie crust. Wilt stems by steaming gently for a few minutes, put on top of onions. Top with a couple of sliced tomatoes. Beat 2 eggs into a carton of cottage cheese and season well. Pour over the veg. Top with a little grated cheese if liked. Bake at 180 until puffy, golden and set.

Creamy Chard pasta sauce - fry chopped stems and an onion in about 4tblspns butter till soft. Add shredded leaves and stir about until melted. Stir in about 4tblspns of flour and mix well. Add a good bit of nutmeg. Slowly add about 3/4 - 1 pint of milk, depending on how thick you want the sauce. Bring to the boil over a low heat, stirring. Simmer for a couple of minutes. Stir in a small carton of cream until you get the consistency that you want. Season well with salt and pepper.

Spicy chard and potatoes - 2 onions, chopped, 3lbs potatoes diced, BIG bunch chard, stems separated and chopped, leaves shredded, curry powder. Fry stems and onions until soft, par boil potatoes. Add curry powder and stir about. Stir in leaves and wilt. At this juncture you can, if you like, add 2 tins chopped toms and simmer until thickened a bit. Add potatoes and mix well. Stir around for a few minutes until potatoes are completely cooked. If you have added tomatoes you don't need to stir, just let it simmer for a few minutes.

Make a tomato version of the pasta sauce using tinned tomatoes instead of white sauce. Season with lemon juice, garlic and pepper. You can, if liked, add some creme fraiche to make it a creamy tomato sauce.
Chop stems and cook with onion and garlic. Add shredded leaves and wilt. Mix in a tin of tomatoes and a tub of philly type or cottage cheese. Season with nutmeg, lemon, salt and pepper and use to make vegetarian cannelloni/lasagna

Make it into soup using chard, leeks, onion, a tin of butter beans, nutmeg, lemon juice and stock. Blitz and add a little cream.

Make chick pea curry using, onions, chick peas, tomatoes, shredded chard and spices.

• Chard gratin (good recipe here)
• Cut into strips and mix into soups
• Stew with tomatoes, white beans, chorizo
• Another stew with beans (recipe here)
• Make pasta and throw a few handfuls of sliced chard into the pasta water about 3 min before the pasta is done - drain and add cheese (good ones are any blue, cheddar, parm, talleggio), stir until it melts together - great way to use up bits of random cheese lurking in the fridge
• Use instead of cabbage to make bubble and squeak

Cooked chard(stalks and all) and grated cheddar cheese with basmati rice.Yum.

It's amazing in a stirfry

Thanks everyone, I have so much of the stuff I will try ALL your suggestions!

We grow loads too. Strip stems out, chop and stir-fry or steam a few minutes longer than the leaves. You need to keep stems under water after chopping-they turn black quickly.Use however you would spinach. It's our family's favourite veg.
My gran said never shred spinach/cabbage leaves before cooking as you let more of the vitamins leach out.Adds weight to the stirfry option though this needs oil, of course!

You lucky thing. I love chard but it's never available in the shops and the slugs would get it if I grew it in my garden.
I love it stir-fried with garlic and a little oyster or soy sauce.

My DH delivered some chard grown by a neighbour and told me it was rhubarb - I thought it must be a new, exotic variety. I made chard and apple crumble, which I really can't recommend!

You need to treat it as two separate vegetables.

Green bits treat like spinach - really good just steamed and then with a bit of olive oil and garlic or whatever.

The stem can be treated like celery or fennel. It's great in a gratin.

It makes a beautiful side dish for roast chicken. I trim the stems out and cut them into chunks and then cut the leaves into ribbons. You then sautee the stems in a little butter and minced garlic. When softened, add a good dollop of creme fraiche and half a vegetable stock cube. Add the leaves at the last moment, as they cook quickly, like spinach. Season to taste and serve!

Stems are great just wilted in a bit of butter.