Creamy Swiss Chard
When I was travelling with my parents in 2000, we had dinner at an Inn in Insbruk. It was my first time eating creamed swiss chard and my goodness … the thought of never tasting it again still saddens me.
Swiss chard has long been one of my favorite vegetables, because it’s tasty and nutritious, readily available and comes in so many incredible colour variations!
- 2 bunches Swiss chard (any variation is great!)
- 3 – 4 slices pancetta (or bacon), diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- up to ½ cup finely chopped red onion
- 2 Tbs each: butter and flour (for the roux)
- 1 cup whole milk (or half-and-half or coconut milk if you have it)
- pinch nutmeg
- Wash chard and cut off thicker stems. Thinly slice the stems and chop leaves into 1″ pieces. Steam the stems for about 5 minutes, then add leaves and cook until wilted, about 4 minutes longer. Drain well, squeezing out excess moisture if necessary.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook the diced pancetta until crisp; remove and set aside. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is tender. Stir in the cooked drained chard and the reserved bacon; set aside.
- In a separate saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in the flour until smooth and cook 1-2 minutes. Very slowly add the milk and nutmeg. Cook, stirring, until smooth and thickened. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
- Add about ½ of the sauce to the chard, stirring to blend. Stir in more (or all) of the remaining sauce mixture, as desired.
Serves 4 to 6.
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