Chard

Chard Agrodolce

August 31, 2011
5
2 Ratings
Photo by James Ransom
  • Serves 2 to 4
Author Notes

I made this for the first time after having the Swiss chard stems at Al Di La in Brooklyn—I tried to recreate something similar to what I had eaten. They use the Swiss chard leaves in their gnudi and make a side with the stems that I liked even better. I use both the stems and the leaves in my version, since I generally have not used the leaves for something else. —Meatballs&Milkshakes

Test Kitchen Notes

This was liked by the adults and the kids in my family, but for different reasons. The kids liked the sweetness of the chard leaves, but the adults enjoyed the stems better. The honey really clings to the leaves, but not as much to the stems, which become almost perfectly tender and tangy-sweet. I would make this again, experimenting with different types of honey and vinegar to see how the flavor mix changes. It's a simple, straightforward recipe that pairs well with a simple supper of a fried egg or a grilled steak. —avimom

What You'll Need
Watch This Recipe
Chard Agrodolce
Ingredients
  • 1 bunch rainbow chard or Swiss chard, stems and leaves separated, with stems chopped into 2- to 3-inch pieces and leaves chopped into thirds
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • Pinch salt
  • 1/4 cup chicken stock
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts (optional)
Directions
  1. Sauté the chard stems in the olive oil and a little salt until they start to break down, about 6 to 8 minutes.
  2. Add the stock and wine and let them cook down for about 5 to 6 minutes, then add the chard leaves. Once they have wilted, add the vinegar and honey.
  3. Let it cook down until the liquid has mostly evaporated and the chard is soft. You can add some toasted pine nuts over the top if you want some added crunch.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • susan g
    susan g
  • LeBec Fin
    LeBec Fin
  • Meatballs&Milkshakes
    Meatballs&Milkshakes
  • FrozenFoodie
    FrozenFoodie
I'm an ex-finance, nonprofit fundraiser by day and a (mostly) Italian cook and blogger by night. I love having friends over for dinner and my favorite evenings are when we spend them at home together cooking dinner and chatting. I'm an avid cooking show fan, and my favorite eating cities are New York, San Francisco, Paris, and Rome.

9 Reviews

Politan June 19, 2020
This has been excellent every time I've tried it. If there are any leftovers they are excellent the next day.
 
t B. November 15, 2015
Wondering how well this would do made a day (or at least several hours) ahead of time...
 
susan G. May 13, 2013
Greens have been a hard sell for me, so I picked this in the CP testing, hoping to find a recipe I would love. I did!
 
so glad you liked it!
 
LeBec F. April 17, 2013
m&m, what a terrific recipe. I will def be making this and adding in either currants or dried cranberries. thks so much.If there is justice in the world, this will be at least a CP.

(P.S.I also submitted some green veggie vinegar recipes - Okra Adobo, and Green Beans with Maple Bacon Vinaigrette. Sisters in Vinegar Love!)
 
Meatballs&Milkshakes April 17, 2013
haha, hope you like it! vinegar is such a useful ingredient!
 
Meatballs&Milkshakes January 15, 2012
thanks, I'm so glad you liked it!
 
FrozenFoodie January 15, 2012
This was great! I switched up a few items (used red wine in place of white, and maple vinegar instead of white wine vinegar and honey). We were sorry we didn't make a double batch of this. Thanks for sharing.
 
Meatballs&Milkshakes January 15, 2012
thanks, I'm so glad you liked it!