Do you like the bitter? I do (though I confess to a very sweet tooth as well). Swiss chard is a vegetable for grown-ups, don't you think -- in the same category as broccoli, asparagus, brussel sprouts. Just look at those gorgeous red and green jewel toned colors of the stems and leaves. It's a party in a bowl.
Ordinarily I cook Swiss chard in a huge pot of salted water, drain, add butter, and enjoy, but for you, my esteemed reader, I felt I should do something a little more special. So I did a Google search and found this recipe in the New York Times.
I had some qualms, as I've never eaten pine nuts and I wasn't too sure about the currants cooked with Swiss chard. It just seemed a little too haute cuisine for this country girl, but change and growth can be good, right? So, bravely I went to my little grocery store, saw that they actually sold pine nuts in a bulk bin (so somebody in town besides me must be eating them) and decided to go with it. I'm a risk taker like that.
Let me tell you, this Swiss chard is so darned good that I ate it for three meals and still could've eaten it again. I discovered I love pine nuts. I'm talking true love here! They are buttery wonderful, like the way a macadamia is buttery wonderful. They added a nice crunch and a bit of color. And the currants were a nice little sweet surprise (satisfying my sweet tooth, always important) and balanced nicely with the bitter Swiss chard.
I followed the recipe with one minor change; I do like a pat butter. I can't help myself. As much as I liked this, my sweetie pie wouldn't go near it. Then again, he doesn't like broccoli, asparagus, or brussel sprouts either. Come to think of it, he mostly only likes iceberg lettuce. What's up with that?
Oh Katypi! To heck with ole you know who! I'll eat it with you! I had to enlarge the photo, I had to see all that yummy goodness you were talking about. Sounds and LOOKS great!
ReplyDeleteI plan to try this baby! Looks amazing Katypi! Thanks,
ReplyDeleteJam
I never had it chopped up before, usually we just boiled it au natural and cook til the stems were done but the leaves were overdone. Cooking them separately like this lets both parts cook to delicious perfection.
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