Eat Your Greens!

Maple Trout Lilli advises:

EAT YOUR GREENS!

“Swiss Chard” No, it doesn’t taste like chocolate or keep great time. It gets the name Swiss Chard (a.k.a Green Chard) because of its extensive cultivation in Switzerland. The botanist who discovered and then named it hailed from Switzerland. However, its origin is farther south, in the Mediterranean region, specifically Sicily.

So now that you’ve had a little background…Welcome Spring and with that a quick and easy way to prepare Swiss Chard.   The maple syrup and sherry vinegar add a sweet spark to this dish.

Serves 4

1/3 cup cashews
2 pounds rainbow chard, washed and ends trimmed
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ of a large red onion
¼ tsp. smoked paprika
½ cup golden raisins
½ cup low sodium vegetable stock
S&P
1/2 tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 tablespoon sherry vinegar

1. Remove center ribs from chard with a sharp knife. Cut the ribs into ½ inch pieces and set aside. Coarsely chop the chard leaves and set aside.
2. Using a large heavy-bottomed skillet, heat oil. Add onion, paprika and chard rib pieces. Cook over medium for 5 minutes.
3. Add chard leaves and cook, stirring until leaves wilt, about 3 minutes
4. Add raisins and stock, cover and cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stirring once or twice.
5. Transfer to a serving dish.
6. Combine maple syrup and sherry vinegar and toss with chard.
7. Top with cashews and serve.

MTL    -Adapted from TheChef

[Editor’s Note: MTL brought up this dish, just as pictured, for the vegetable-starved crew. Divine.]