Recently, I got to ‘meet’ colorful chard, especially red chard. They are beautiful!
Having never eaten or cooked them, I was a bit intimidated 😅 and so I thought of cooking them in the simplest way possible, just to not risk making a mess… by making them lose color! That was my main concern!
But in the end, it went well. 😊 As you will see from the photos I’ll include in the process, even though they released some beautifully colored water at the bottom, the chard stalks almost completely retained their color.
I’m sure those who know more about food chemistry and/or cooking physics (and it doesn’t take much to know more than I do in both subjects!) know why. I mean, they know why the color mostly goes into the water and know what cooking method is recommended, or which cooking method can cause more or less color loss, also know which foods or seasonings are recommended, for example, is it better to add lemon or not? In short… if you know all these whys, write to me! And reveal them to me!
In the meantime, I’ll explain how I cooked my red chard, that is, pan-fried with garlic and chili pepper.
Now that I’ve taken this first step, I’m already thinking of a series of variations, for example, I’d like to try adding almonds and pine nuts, and then I’d like to try wrapping the leaves… I don’t know how yet, but I’d see them well as a sort of roll or filled package… I need to think about it a bit more!
For now, however, I’ve taken a first step by cooking leaves and stalks separately: today I’ll tell you about the leaves, then how I cooked the stalks… I’ll talk about it in the next recipe!
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 2
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer
Ingredients
- 2 heads Red Chard
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 2 teaspoons Extra virgin olive oil
- to taste Chili pepper
Tools
- Pot
- Pan
- Skimmer
Steps
Wash the chard and cut the stalks at the base of the leaf to separate stems and leaves.
Place the leaves in a large pot and cook them over low heat with the lid closed.
The red chard I used was quite young and cooked without adding water, only with the moisture remaining on the leaves after draining. If necessary, you can add a little water.
Cook for about 10 minutes, then scoop them up with a skimmer and transfer them to a pan.
Chop the garlic, add the oil and chili pepper, and cook the chard for 5-10 minutes, depending on how much moisture needs to be removed and personal taste (for example, I prefer to leave them soft and not too dry).
Tips without salt
Salt-free Tip: These red chard have a strong flavor that goes well with garlic and chili pepper, both excellent flavor enhancers instead of salt. Try it!
If you are interested in reducing or eliminating salt, always remember to:
■ Gradually decrease the salt, the palate should get used to it slowly and not notice the progressive reduction.
■ Use spices. Chili pepper, pepper, curry, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, cumin…
■ Use aromatic herbs. Basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, mint…
■ Use seeds. Sesame, pine nuts, almonds, walnuts…
■ Use spicy vegetables or fruit. Garlic, onion, lemon, orange…
■ Use my salt-free vegetable granules
■ Prefer fresh foods.
■ Avoid cooking in water, prefer cooking methods that do not disperse the flavors (griddle, foil, steam, microwave)
■ Avoid bringing the salt shaker to the table!
■ Occasionally indulge in breaking the rule. It’s good for the mood and helps to persevere.
If you don’t want, or can’t, give up salt:
■ You can still try my recipes by salting according to your habits.
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