Simple Sautéed Chard

There are few vegetables as brilliant and enticing as rainbow chard in the garden.

Not only is it beautiful to look at, it is easy to grow and keeps coming up if you just cut a few leaves on each plant as you go. Small, tender leaves taste so good just straight from the garden.

Chard was likely introduced to me by my mother, probably sometime when I was a teenager. She seemed to have more time on her hands with her kids growing up and out of the house more often. She was keen on trying new things in the kitchen and we were often on the receiving end of her creativity.

I still remember the day she brought home cactus to cook up for dinner. Yes, cactus. I'm not sure how successful that venture was since I wasn't inclined to repeat that attempt at cross-cultural studies in cookery but I was keen to make her sautéed chard for years afterwards.

This is a simple recipe with simple technique and simple ingredients. However, there is one secret ingredient that most people would probably never guess is in it. Don't pre-judge, ok? It's ketchup.

I know, I know. Ketchup is overused: on hot dogs and hamburgers, its fine. On macaroni & cheese and grilled cheese, its plain weird. On sautéed chard? I know what you are thinking- wildly inappropriate.

However, if you come across some chard and try this recipe, you may become a convert too. There is something about the sweet, rich edge of ketchup that gives the slightly bitter chard new life.

Maybe you aren't inclined to try something as crazy as cactus, but maybe your crazy experiment will be chard with ketchup?

Simple Sautéed Chard
Chard really tends to cook down significantly, so I always start with a huge pile of greens. For this recipe, you'll need about 2 big bunches. Use the biggest sauté pan you have, or use a wok as I do. And, if you are too much of a food snob to use ketchup, use a touch of tomato sauce or a chopped tomato in its place.

1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
approx. 2 large bunches of chard
3/4 tsp dried thyme leaves (not the powdered stuff)
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp ketchup

1. Let chard soak in water for a few minutes and swish around to remove debris. Rinse.
2. Rip stems from leaves. Separate into stems and leaves. Finely cut stems. Roughly chop leaves.
3. Heat sauté pan or wok over medium to medium high heat. Add oil and add stems, onions and garlic. Sauté until tender, approximately 5 minutes, stirring often.
4. Add dried thyme and salt and continue to cook for another minute.
5. Add chard greens and sauté until just wilted. Add ketchup and cook for another minute. Serve immediately.

Note: Cooking the long stems for a few minutes before makes them much more tender. Small, tender chard stems do not need this treatment and can be roughly chopped and cooked with the greens.

Blondies

This time of year I love food. Ok, it's true...I love food all year but this is when it really gets exciting to be someone who loves to cook or bake with fresh, local produce.

But this also makes it an extremely busy time as I am harvesting this bounty, freezing berries, harvesting garlic, checking on the garden twice a day and sometimes staying up until midnight making the perfect jam.

Not to mention the fact that all this is often happening while I have three little ones at my feet (well, except for canning which can often be a messy, splattering business!)

This time of year I get so caught up in fresh produce that I sometimes forget to make their favourite cookies or one of their favourite loaves. They complain a little but I don't feel too sorry for them as plum juice drips down their chin. I also know that I miss having a treat to stash into their bags as we head to the beach or park. But I just cannot bear to be in the kitchen more than I need to during the day when these days are hot.

My friend's son was recently doing some baking and shared some of his Blondies with us. It was a bit of a revelation that you would basically bake a cookie dough into a 9 X 13" pan and save all the time of portioning out little bits of dough for cookies and waiting to rotate trays in and out of the oven.

After talking to him, I found a recipe that was very similar in one of my Cook's Illustrated magazines.

So, here is a super simple recipe that you can easily make in 5 minutes, toss in the oven and have to take to the beach later! Not to mention the fact that they taste great with the berries of the season!

Blondies
You can make these your own by adding up to 1/2 cup of "add-ins"- chopped nuts, some additional white chocolate chips, or even top with leftover halloween candy! Do not overbake these!

1 1/2 cups unbleached flour or whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt (*only if using unsalted butter)
1/2 cup melted butter (if salted, omit salt)
1 1/2 cups brown sugar (or a mixture of brown and white, or coconut sugar mixed in have all worked)
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
up to 1 cup chocolate chips (I use less when I use mini chips)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Prepare a 9 X 13" pan for baking---use parchment, or grease

with butter.
3. In one large bowl, whisk together melted butter and brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and whisk until well combined.
4. Add dry ingredients: flour, baking powder and salt (if needed). Using a rubber spatula, fold dry ingredients into wet, fold in chocolate chips and add-ins then turn into pan. Smooth top with rubber spatula. (Press in any candy-coated chocolates, small peanut butter cups, etc. before baking.)
5. Bake until top is shiny and light golden brown, 23- 25 minutes. Do not over bake. Cool to room temperature. Cut into squares. Store in fridge if they survive longer than a day on the counter!

Note: Recipe adapted Nov. 2016 to be made in one bowl!