Swiss Chard Recipes -
How to Cook Swiss Chard

Here you will find my favorite Swiss chard recipes.
Cooking Swiss chard the Mediterranean way is simple.

Some Swiss chard basics

Swiss chard is a vegetable of the Mediterranean.

It grows in a wet area, and is quite resistant to high temperatures, so it can be grown almost everywhere.

Swiss chard is one of the best vegetables for dieting. It has a high content of vitamin C, beta carotene and mineral salts.

There are two main types of Swiss chard which are used for cooking. One has thin stalk and a lot of leaves, and another has a thicker and longer stalk with small leaves.

The thicker stalks do not mean that Swiss chard is not fresh and not for usage.

When buying a chard never judge its quality by the thickness of the stalk or leaf size, but the freshness and juiciness of leaves.

Swiss Chard Recipes

Boiled Swiss Chard

Ingredients:

• 1 kg/2.2 lb Swiss chard, cut into large pieces
  
• 4 potatoes, chopped
  
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
  
• 1 tbsp salt
  
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
  
• cold water
  

Instructions:

Put the potatoes, salt and Swiss chard in a large cooking pan and cover with water (up to 2/3 of the pan).

Cook for about 20 minutes (until potatoes turn soft).

Drain the water, add olive oil, cover and leave for 5 minutes.

Squash the Swiss chard and potatoes with a big spoon and add garlic. Stir well. Serve as a side-dish, with fish or meat.

Swiss Chard Pie

I love this pie! It is light, healthy and delicious and ideal for adults as well as kids' parties.

It can be served as a hot appetizer or as a main dish.

Ingredients:

For the filling:

• 1 kg/2.2 lb Swiss chard
  
• 1 cup sour cream
  
• 1 cup cottage cheese
  
• 1 egg
  
• 2-3 pinches salt
  
• seasonings to taste
  

You also need a strudel dough (if you want to make your own dough here's the basic recipe for strudel dough), or you can substitute it with premade phyllo dough, which is also paper-thin dough.
1 egg, beaten for brushing

Instructions:

Boil the Swiss chard in salted water and then drain and allow it to cool.

Add the sour cream, cheese, an egg, season it to taste and stir well.

If you made your own strudel dough, fill it with the filling and then roll and brush at the top with a beaten egg.

Bake at 150-200° C/300-400° F for approximately 30 minutes.

If you have a premade phyllo dough, you must always layer it with oil brushed in between.

Swiss Chard Risotto

Ingredients:

• 300 g/10.5 oz Swiss chard
  
• 300 g/10.5 oz rice
  
• 3 tbsp olive oil
  
• ½ large onion, finely chopped
  
• 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
  
• salt, white pepper to taste
  

Instructions:

Wash the Swiss chard under running water, and cut the thicker stems.

Pour boiling water over the leaves and drain after a few minutes.

Heat olive oil in a pan and then add onion, rice, chopped chard stems, salt and pepper. Fry briefly and add water or broth. Cook covered until the rice is almost done.

Add the blanched chard leaves and cook a little more in a covered pan.

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.

It can be served as a side dish with fish or white meat or as a separate dish.

I hope you enjoyed this easy Swiss chard recipes!

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