Chard is a wonderful vegetable, full of nutrition and flavor. This is a quick recipe for a side dish in minutes. It is not my original recipe, just my version of a popular use for chard. You can find many more variations on this recipe on the internet.
12 large Chard leaves
1/2 Red onion or 12 slender green onions
2T Butter
2T Olive Oil
1T minced garlic
2T Water or dry white wine
2T Shredded or freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish
1T Lemon juice
Sea salt
Cut center ribs and stems out of the chard leaves. Dice them as you would dice celery for a salad and set aside in a small bowl. Chop chard leaves coarsely into roughly 2″ x 2″ pieces. Dice onions and mince garlic.
Melt butter and olive oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic, sauté for one minute. Add the diced chard stems and ribs. Continue to sauté just until the stems start to soften. Add 2T water or wine and the chard leaves and toss until just wilted. Sprinkle in the Parmesan and lemon juice, salt to taste, and toss once more. Turn off heat. The Parmesan will melt without further stirring.
Serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan for garnish. Makes (4) 1/2 cup servings as a side dish, or two hearty servings for chard lovers. I suggest salting at the table since Parmesan has a tendency to be salty and you may not need any additional salt during cooking.
A wok works well since the volume of chard leaves is large prior to wilting, even though this recipe will reduce to just 2 cups after wilting, which looks a little odd in a large wok!