Chard: What Is It and How Do I Cook It?

  

Chard, also known as Swiss Chard or Red Chard, is a leafy green vegetable with prominent veins and ribs as thick as celery.  Sometimes Chard is sold with the ribs still attached to the base, like celery.  Other times the stalks have been trimmed slightly so that the leaves are separate, and they are bundled together with a twisty tie.  Choose a bundle that is shiny and firm, not limp with a lot of brown spots.

Red chard has large, dark green leaves with red veins and a red stalk.  Swiss chard has similar large, dark green leaves, but its veins and stalks are white.

Unlike fresh spinach, which cooks down to almost nothing, cooked chard makes a substantial side dish.

I prepare chard by removing the ribs and adding just the leaves to a pot of boiling water and cooking them for about 5 minutes, or until the leaves are soft.  Drain the chard well, removing as much liquid as possible.  Add a teaspoon of butter for more flavor.

If you want to cook the ribs, treat them as you would celery.

Chard makes a good addition to vegetable soup. Cut several leaves of raw chard into 1-inch strips and drop the strips into the soup. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the chard softens.

If you want to cook the ribs, cut them as you would celery and stir-fry the pieces.  Serve them in a small bowl or mix them in with the cooked chard leaves.

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