Quick ideas
Chard dressed with lemon and cheese
This simple, flavourful side dish will add some verdancy and a good dose of vitamins to any meal. Make it into a main by tossing the chard through pasta with extra olive oil and cheese. The same technique works with spinach, where there's no need to cook the stems separately, and with kale and spring or winter greens.
Ingredients
- 1 bag of chard
- juice of ½ lemon
- 2 tbsp Parmesan, grated
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
Method
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Step 1
The leaves and stalks generally need to be cooked separately, so to prepare, wash the chard thoroughly and strip the leaves away from the stalks. Slice the stalks into ½ cm long pieces.
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Step 2
Boil a large pan of water and add the stalks, cooking for 3-5 minutes until just tender. Retrieve with a slotted spoon and refresh in cold water.
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Step 3
Bring the water back to a rolling boil and add the leaves. Blanch until just wilted for 1-2 minutes (the leaves should be vibrant in colour), then drain.
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Step 4
MIx the leaves and stalk together and immediately dress with the olive oil, lemon juice and Parmesan. Season well. The quality of olive oil you use really makes this dish – ideally you want something quite fruity. Serve warm or at room temperature as a side dish, or as a simple accompaniment to pasta.
