Braised Greens


Both K and I appreciate slow-cooked foods, so it’s pretty common for us to have braised vegetables as a side. It began with leeks and then we moved onto kale, and then celery when we had some sitting in the fridge for weeks. You can pretty much do the same for most bitter green vegetables such as Swiss Chard and collard greens. They’re all prepared in a similar fashion, so I’m just posting one recipe for all. K uses this Swiss Chard Recipe from Simply Recipes, but substitutes chicken broth for water and adds much more garlic. If you want it to be strictly vegetarian, feel free to stick to the original. 


Swiss Chard Recipe
1 large bunch of fresh Swiss chard (or any leafy, bitter green such as kale and collard greens, but also celery and leeks)
4 small cloves garlic, sliced
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup of chicken broth/stock
Pinch of dried crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon butter
Salt

1) Rinse out the Swiss chard leaves thoroughly.
2) Remove the toughest third of the stalk, discard or save for another recipe (such as this Swiss chard ribs with cream and pasta).
3) Roughly chop the leaves into inch-wide strips.
4) Heat a saucepan on a medium heat setting, add olive oil, garlic and the crushed red pepper.
5) Sauté for about a minute.
6) Add the chopped Swiss chard leaves.
7) Cover.
8) Check after about 5 minutes.
9) If it looks dry, add chicken stock/broth.
10) Flip the leaves over in the pan, so that what was on the bottom, is now on the top.
11) Cover again.
12) Check for doneness after another 5 minutes (remove a piece and taste it).
13) Add salt to taste, and a small amount of butter.
14) Remove the Swiss chard to a serving dish.