How I Learned to Cook Chard

Thanks to an amazing Groupon deal, I recently got to try Door-to-Door Organics.  I paid $17 for a $30-something box of produce, and got to choose whether or not I wanted fruits, veggies, or a mix of both.  I chose the mix and received the following:

• Pluots (plum+apricot hybrids)
• 1 Avocado
• 2 Tomatoes
• 2 Summer Squash (Yellow Zucchini Squash)
• 1 Bunch of Beets
• 1 Green Cabbage
• 1 Green Lettuce
• 1 Chard
• 1 Bunch of Spinach
• 1 Bunch of Carrots
• Mushrooms
• Grilling Onions

Yeah, I think that’s about it.  And all of this was delivered to my door!  Now, I know I love a number of these things, but I’ve never cooked beets, and I’ve never been able to cook leafy greens like chards, spinach, and kale without over-cooking it.

So, I consulted the experts, and here’s what I learned:

I took Kerry‘s advice, except I’m a little bit Southern girl still so I used butter also.  Ok, so it wasn’t “real” butter, but you’d never believe it  I sauteed the chard in butter, olive oil, and two whole cloves of garlic that I’d smashed to release the flavor.  I don’t like biting through garlic unless it’s roasted really well (so that it’s kind of sweetened), but I love the flavor.  This way I had all of the goodness of the garlic without having to actually chomp through it.

Good timing

The best part – I managed to remember one piece of advice I’d been given about greens before – do not overcook! Somehow I always manage to do so, but this time, I made sure that the chard was the last thing that went on the stovetop and that they weren’t over-coated with butter and olive oil.  I think it only took 10 minutes or so for that big pile of greens to cook down to the right texture and the right flavor:

The turnout?  Pretty perfect.  Not wilty or soggy, crisp enough, but definitely seasoned perfectly with the basics: butter, olive oil, garlic and sea salt.

doniree

Doniree Walker is the Nomadic Foodie. She loves the exploration and community of food, and currently lives in Portland, Oregon, and loves the region's focus on local and seasonal food, daily farmers' markets and food carts at seemingly every turn. She's on twitter as @doniree and @nomadicfoodie, and blogs her adventures and life in general at doniree.com.

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Tagged as: Boulder, chard, Door-to-Door Organics, Groupon, produce