Last weekend, my dear friends Morley and Mike had Ed and I over for dinner. Morley whipped up this incredible swiss chard, which she made with habanero infused olive oil. Tonight, I decided to see if I could make something similar. I didn’t have any habanero infused olive oil, but I did have a delightful little orange pepper at my disposal. I’d seen a recipe for chard with pancetta in a magazine, so I was inspired to throw a slice of bacon in, too. The result? Absolutely delicious.

Swiss Chard with Bacon and Habanero

Serves 2 as a side dish.

INGREDIENTS

4 stalks/leaves swiss chard
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 piece bacon, chopped (I like thick-cut applewood-smoked bacon) (omit for vegan)
1 clove garlic, smashed
a bit of habanero, minced — to taste
kosher salt, to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Mince habanero (use gloves, as this is a spicy spicy pepper). Chop bacon. Cut stems off of chard, chop into bite-sized pieces. Chop chard leavees into rough, bite-sized squares. Keep leaves separate from stalks.
2. Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Cook bacon bits a minute or two, turning, until it’s nearly done.
3. Add garlic and habanero; sautee another minute or two.
4. Add chard stalks and toss. Sautee 4 minutes.
5. Add chard leaves. Sprinkle generously with kosher salt. Toss until everything is mixed well.
6. Cover and cook 4 more minutes, or until leaves are wilted and soft. Serve immediately.

Note: Can easily be made vegan by omitting the bacon. Still quite tasty without it!