Rainbow Swiss Chard Appetizer Recipes

RAINBOW SWISS CHARD APPETIZER

Steps:

• Melt butter in pan over medium heat. Add shallots and sauté 2 minutes.
• Add herbs and chopped chard stems. Sauté until chard is tender.
• Transfer to bowl and allow to cool, patting with paper towels to soak up excess butter.
• Spread cream cheese on toasted bread or crackers. Top with chard.

RAINBOW-CHARD QUICHE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium. Add onion and chard leaves; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until chard wilts and becomes tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate; let cool completely. Meanwhile, blanch chard stems in a pot of generously salted water until crisp-tender and more vibrant in color, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain; transfer to another plate and let cool completely. Melt remaining 7 tablespoons butter in a saucepan. Brush a 10-inch deep-dish pie plate or straight-sided skillet with melted butter. Place 1 sheet of phyllo in pie plate; brush with more butter. Continue layering phyllo in overlapping concentric circles, brushing each layer with more butter. Transfer pie plate to rimmed baking sheet.
• Whisk eggs in a large bowl. Whisk in milk, cream, and Dijon; season with salt and pepper. Spread chard-leaves mixture in phyllo crust; pour egg mixture over. Sprinkle nutmeg over top.
• Bake until eggs begin to set at edges, about 25 minutes. Scatter chard stems evenly over top. Continue baking until eggs are set in center and puffed slightly and phyllo is golden brown, 40 to 50 minutes more. Let cool on a wire rack 15 minutes. Stir together sour cream and harissa; serve with quiche.

STIR-FRIED SWISS CHARD AND RED PEPPERS

Steps:

• In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the soy sauce, rice wine or sherry, and the sesame oil. Combine the salt, pepper and sugar in another small bowl. Have all the ingredients within arm's length of your pan.
• Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or 12-inch steel skillet over high heat until a drop of water evaporates within a second or two in the pan. Swirl in the oil by adding it to the sides of the pan and tilting it back and forth. Add the garlic and ginger, and stir-fry for no more than 10 seconds. Add the chard, and stir-fry for two minutes, until the leaves wilt. Add the red pepper and spring onion or red onion. Turn the heat to high, and stir-fry for one minute, or until the pepper begins to soften. Add the salt, pepper and sugar. Toss together, and add the soy sauce mixture. Stir-fry for two to three minutes until the chard leaves are tender and the stems and red peppers are crisp-tender. Stir in the cilantro, and serve over cooked quinoa, rice or rice noodles.

LEMON-GARLIC RAINBOW CHARD

Steps:

• Separate the stems of the chard from the leaves. Cut the leaves into thin strips and set aside. Thinly slice the stems.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or pot over medium heat. Stir in the sliced garlic, red pepper flakes, and chard stems, and cook for 3 minutes until the flavor of the garlic mellows and the stems begin to soften. Stir in the shredded chard leaves, cover, and cook 5 minutes over medium-low heat. Stir, recover, and continue cooking until the chard is tender. Toss with lemon juice to serve.