Chard – a rather susceptible green

Swiss chard has some other common names, among which is ‘perpetual spinach’. It is a rather unusual title for a vanishing green. But don’t get your hopes up. They will disappear as soon as you get to know it better.

This representative of the dinner salads is no exception to susceptibility. Usually, chard is very susceptible to time. For example in terms of rotting in the drawers and becoming slimy.

Chard has similarities to spinach

The term ‘perpetual’ may refer to the time chard sits on the plot before starting to seed. It can last for months! That is what growers say from one perspective. On the other hand, perpetual spinach is more stable and resilient than true spinach.

But let’s not forget that it’s leaf beet and has ‘spinach’ in one of the names. That is probably because someone once described it as “a leafy vegetable that tastes just like spinach”.

But we’re just hypothesizing. Regardless of what you call it, you might want to know what shall be done to it. And here we are, at your service.

Create a delicious chard pesto

Incorporating greens into everyday diet might be tricky. Here blending comes in handy. Pulverizing is a great way to utilize almost every green. Try out Swiss chard pesto with pine nuts.

For that, get the finest nuts – but taste them first. You don’t want them to go rancid since this could spoil the whole preparation.

1. Measure 50 g / ⅓ cup of nuts and toast them in a pan, lightly coated with oil. It will take 5 minutes.
2. Then rinse a big handful of chard leaves.
3. Toss them into a blender along with the nuts.
4. Add 80 ml / ⅓ cup olive oil and 50 g / ½ cup grated parmesan cheese. For seasoning, add 4 garlic cloves, 1 tsp of thyme, ⅓ tsp of dried oregano, ⅓ tsp of chili flakes, salt and pepper.
5. Blend until smooth, and your Swiss chard pesto is ready.

A unique combination with Chard pesto

Actually, you can go one step further. Let’s combine the chard pesto with the charred chard.

1. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large pan and add chard stems to it. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté for 5-7 minutes while stirring occasionally.
2. Then add the chard leaves and cook for 2-3 minutes until wilted.
3. Now, take the pesto and thin it with some oil. You want the consistency of a sauce. Drizzle the sautéed chard with it and serve immediately.

Of course, this dish might serve as a base. You can add different vegetables: bell peppers, squashes, eggplants, mushrooms, etc. Everything goes well with chard pesto.