VelvetBraised Swiss Chard with Garlic and Chile
Inspired by techniques from America's Test Kitchen.
Sliced Swiss chard is stirred into a pot of softened onion, garlic and red pepper flakes, where its own moisture braises the stems tender and wilts the leaves completely in well under 15 minutes. A finishing drizzle of good olive oil, grated Parmesan and a squeeze of lemon balance the greens' natural bitterness with fat, salt and acid.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Soften the onion and garlic. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-low heat until shimmering. Add the onion, garlic and half the salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- 2
Wilt the chard. Stir in the Swiss chard and the remaining salt — the pot will look very full at first. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the stems are tender and the leaves are fully wilted, 12-15 minutes.
- 3
Finish and serve. Transfer the chard to a serving platter and drizzle generously with extra olive oil. Serve with the grated Parmesan and lemon wedges alongside.
Storage
Best eaten the day it's made. Refrigerate covered for up to 3 days and reheat in a pan until piping hot. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
EU nutrition claims
- Low sugars: 1.9 g sugars per 100 g (limit ≤ 5 g)
- Source of fibre: 1.7 g fibre per 100 kcal (needs ≥ 1.5 g)
Per 100 g of the finished dish, worked out from the nutrition per serving and the lowest likely cooked weight (about 234 g a serving), so the true values are, if anything, lower. Thresholds from the Annex to EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. How we decide
Free sugars
0 g per serving
0 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 0 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g (WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- chef's knife
- chopping board
- large Dutch oven or other wide heavy pot
- wooden spoon or heatproof spatula
- fine grater (for the Parmesan)
- serving platter
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 286 kcal |
| Protein | 7 g |
| Carbohydrate | 15.4 g |
| of which sugars | 4.5 g |
| of which free sugars | 0 g |
| Fat | 23.9 g |
| of which saturates | 4.2 g |
| Fibre | 4.8 g |
| Salt | 3 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
2.4 g High Protein needs ≥ 5 g (20% of energy)
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
