Swiss Chard with Bacon and Habanero
Posted: November 15th, 2009 | Author: mooflyfoof | Filed under: Dairy-free, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tags: Bacon, chard, garlic, habanero | 4 Comments »
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
- 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.
- Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Cook bacon bits a minute or two, turning, until it’s nearly done.
- Add garlic and habanero; sautee another minute or two.
- Add chard stalks and toss. Sautee 4 minutes.
- Add chard leaves. Sprinkle generously with kosher salt. Toss until everything is mixed well.
- 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!
Hi Heather, love your site! I’m a huge fan of cooking blogs, so this is great fun to look at.
Thanks Katy! Glad you like my blog. :)
This is a nice, simple inspiration to try my hand at sauteed chard again… the last two times, my taste buds didn’t get off too easy :[
Any special insights reg: how to fight overpowering bitterness?
Hm. The two times I’ve had it, it didn’t seem especially bitter. The first time was a bunch from my friend’s CSA, and the time I made it was a bunch from Lucky — so I don’t think I had special chard or anything. It’s a little bitter, but not overpoweringly so in my experience. That’s just part of its charm I think. Ed likes it because of its bitterness, actually. It reminds him of his grandfather’s broccoli rabe (which is SUPER bitter).
I do use a lot of salt though, more than you would think was necessary. That might help counter the bitterness? I also wonder if it has to do with what season it is.