Garlic Creamed Chard

There's a lot of swiss chard in my freezer. Swiss chard is one of those vegetables that I admire in my garden but don't eat very often. It is quite lovely, especially the Bright Lights variety that has red, pink, and yellow stems. But, come the first snows or that forecast of a stretch of temps in the teens, I decide it's time to pick it all. I separate the leaves and stems. I blanch them separately since the stems have to cook a little longer and I like to freeze them separately too. Drained well and into plastic bags for use through the winter. Which isn't such a bad thing, really. I like rich recipes for chard. Chard, like spinach and beet greens - in reality, chard is just a beet that lost its root - has a drying sensation on the tongue. It comes from the oxalates in the leaf. I don't really like that feeling much, but cooking greens with cream seems to mute this sensation. Sounds like a great reason to cook my swiss chard with cream!

This recipe is much simpler than your average creamed spinach recipe. No roux, no bechamel. It's still darn good. I'm sure it would work as well with spinach as chard.

Garlic Creamed Chard
(from Too Many Tomatoes, Squash, Beans, and Other Good Things)
4-6 servings



4 cups Cooked Chard, chopped (leaves and/or stems)
1 Onion, chopped
2 cloves Garlic, minced
2 tbl Butter
1⁄2 cup Heavy Cream
1⁄4 tsp Grated Nutmeg
1⁄2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
Salt And Black Pepper, to taste

Heat butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Add onions and garlic and saute until the onions are soft.

Add chard and saute another minute.

Reduce heat to low. Add cream and nutmeg. Heat until the cream has reduced somewhat.

Add half the cheese and stir. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and serve.

Notes: If you use a microplane to grate the Parmesan, you should double the cheese to 1 cup.

Link to PDF of Garlic Creamed Chard recipe.