I've only made it once - sauteed in duck fat. Yum.

I usually eat it raw in salads. I grew some of the variety with the beautifully colored stems (Bright Lights ?) last year. My parents grew the old fashioned, nothing fancy variety and my mom cooked it with bacon, vinegar and a pinch of sugar. Like a wilted spinach almost.

After rinsing lots, I cut it into thin strips, heat olive oil, add chopped garlic, chard, cook and stir for a few minutes, then salt and lemon juice at the end. Yum!

I do mine pretty much like sjerin, but add a splash of orange vinegar at the end instead of lemon juice.

Use it any way you would use spinach. It makes a wonderful quiche, Eggs Florentine, salad (especially with mushrooms) or cooked greens per the previous posts.

Jim

I chop it and saute it with fresh garlic and incorporate it into an omelette or a frittata. Or eat it just sauteed.

Here is a link to an earlier request for swiss chard recipes.

Here is a link that might be useful: Swiss Chard - what to make with it

And here is a very easy recipe that has become a favorite in this house. I brown the pork chops then place them on the chard.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pork Chops with Swiss Chard Bake

Here's an easy soup to make with it.

CHARD AND SAUSAGE SOUP

1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed, crumbled
1 Tbs. chopped garlic
1 pound Swiss chard, trimmed and coarsely chopped
4 to 5 cups chicken stock or 3 cans (14 1/2 oz. each) chicken broth
1/2 cup broken (1 inch) pieces capellini or vermicelli pasta
4 slices crusty French or Italian bread, 1/2 inch thick
4 tsp. olive oil
4 tsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat a large saucepot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook, stirring and chopping to break up clumps, until browned, about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute. Add chard and broth and bring to boiling. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, then bring back to a boil. Add pasta, cover and boil 2-4 minutes or until pasta is done.

Meanwhile, heat broiler. Broil bread slices on cookie sheet about 1 minute per side, until toasted. Drizzle each slice with 1 tsp. oil; sprinkle each with 1 tsp. grated Parmesan.

Divide soup among 4 large soup bowl and top each with prepared toast. Serves 4

Like Jimster, I use it any time I would use spinach, including in spinach dip. The small leaves are nice added into salad, but I always cook the larger ones.

Annie

Mind you it takes a lot longer to cook than spinach. I cook the leafy part after sauteeing the stalk part until tender. Braising works too - like a "greens" dish.