Normally I prepare this as a side dish, but I had a craving so I made a large batch and ate it as a meal. I was not disappointed. This dish has brought tears to my eyes before and is one of my favorite dishes in my repertoire.
Ingredients: 1 bunch swiss chard (I always use red, but any kind would work), 1/2 onion, 2-3 cloves garlic (~1/4 tsp), extra virgin olive oil, brown sugar (optional), salt, water. (Serves 2-4 as side dish, serves one as a meal.)
Prep time: 20 mins
When prepping the chard, I usually wash the leaves, remove the stems, cut the chard into strips (as in video, or by stacking them in bunches of 3-4, rolling them like a sleeping bag, then cutting from edge to edges so as to produce long strips), put the chard in a bowl, cover them with water and move them around to remove dirt, then drain them and shake them dry. You can also dry them in a salad spinner. Chard holds a lot of dirt, and if you don’t clean it properly you will eat gross dirt. I also usually toss it with about 2tsp of olive oil, but this is optional.
After the chard is prepped and the onion and garlic are chopped, start water boiling in a medium-sized pot with a lid. Add a couple pinches of salt but don’t overdo it.
Onions:
Heat up a small-medium-sized pan with about one tbsp of oil (more is better than less). Let it heat up over medium-high heat for about 15-20 seconds, then toss in the onion. Let them sizzle (stirring occasionally) for 1-2 minutes, then turn the heat down to medium-low and keep them at a medium sizzle for the remainder of the cooking time. Once they’re starting to become translucent (a few minutes in), add enough salt to coat them all. Once they start to brown, I add 1/2 tsp of brown sugar, but this part is optional. Some would call it cheating. :)
Let the onions cook until golden, then add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds before stirring them together and removing from heat.
Chard:
Once the water is boiling, add the chard and close the lid. Turn the heat down to medium-low and let it cook. After about 5 minutes, give it a stir and test the consistency of the chard. Depending on the how hot the water is and how well you like it cooked, you’ll want to leave it in for a total of 8-10 minutes. I usually got for about 9 minutes.
Once the chard is cooked, remove it from heat. You can drain it if you want, but I usually just remove them from the water with a spaghetti spoon and give them a shake to remove excess water.
Pile the chard onto a serving dish and pour the onions on top. I usually give them a little stir with whatever utensil I’m using to cook with, just to mix them up.
(When I eat this dish as a meal, I pair it with a side of moderately sweet fruit like pear or peach to offset the heavy flavors of the chard.)
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