Grannie’s French Swiss Chard

I had never paid much attention to the food I was buying at the market until I had kids. Then I learned all about organic, certified organic,  etc. As time goes on I pay more and more attention to the quality of the food I’m buying and feeding to my kids. Last year I signed up for my first organic veggie share from a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). I didn’t really know what to expect, but I was very happy with the variety and quality of vegetables I received. Last year I split the share with a friend, and quickly realized that each of us could have eaten the entire share ourselves…..so this season I signed up for a full share (with fruit this time too!).

We had never been very big into the leafy greens in my family, especially growing up, but now I find most of my box filled with leafy greens! I have a new found love for kale, Swiss chard, and bok choi. And one of the nicest aspects of my CSA is their website contains recipe suggestions. I wouldn’t have know what to do with most of it without some of these little gems. This past week I found myself with Swiss chard, and my in-laws in town visiting from Italy. Now, cooking for a couple who just got off the plane from Italy is a little intimidating…so, I thought I’d make this recipe that I had tried last summer, thanks to Golden Earthworm (http://www.goldenearthworm.com/). Rather than just making it sauteed in olive oil with a little garlic, this recipe has a unique and delicious combination of rosemary, pine nuts, and raisins!

Now, I’m not going to lie….the kids wouldn’t touch it. But all 3 of my kids are under the age of 5 and a bowl of dark green stuff covered with other strange looking stuff isn’t overly enticing to them. But the grown-ups devoured it! And my in-laws were very impressed. My kids won’t eat most of the veggies I put in front of them but 2 out of 3 are actually pretty adventurous eaters so I’m not worried. The recipe on the website even has a story about how when the author was a little girl she ate this all the time because of the pine nuts and raisins. Oh, and this whole dish cooks in about 3 minutes so its super easy and quick! Enjoy!!

Grannie’s French Swiss Chard

1 bunch Swiss chard
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1/3 cup raisins or golden raisins
2 tablespoons pine nuts
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Remove the chard stems and the thick central vein from each leaf. Chop the leaves very coarsely. Using a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium high heat, melt the butter with the oil until sizzling. Add the chard and the rosemary, stirring well to coat the chard with the butter mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, for another minute until the chard has wilted to about half its original volume. Add raisins and pine nuts, stirring to combine evenly, and continue cooking until any moisture has evaporated. The entire cooking process should take no more than about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.