Author Notes
I started making chard with lemon like my mom always did. Then I found a recipe, can't remember where that had chard with olives. I wanted to intensify the lemon flavor, so I added preserved lemon... It's been a favorite ever since. You can buy preserved lemons either on line or in middle eastern shops. I use a quick preserved lemon - see: http://www.epicurious.com... —Helen's All Night Diner
Test Kitchen Notes
Helen's All Night Diner takes chard and melds it with the bright citrus and briny olives to create a very flavorful side dish. The brief water bath softens the stems and leaves nicely. The preserved lemon adds tang and the olives add substance. My olives were saltier than would have been ideal, and my final dish came out a tad too salty. Next time I will make sure to use a milder olive. My husband and I finished off a half-batch in one sitting, so this recipe is definitely a keeper. - hardlikearmour —hardlikearmour
Ingredients
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2 bunches
Chard - any type
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3 or 4 tablespoons
olive oil
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2 or 3
cloves garlic, very thinly sliced
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1/2 cup
pitted kalamata olive, or your favorite olive, halved
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1/2
preserved lemon, about 2 tbs diced
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1 cup
water, lightly salted
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freshly ground grains of paradise, to taste
Directions
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Wash the chard and dry. Cut the leaves from the stems, separating. Cut the stems into pieces about 3" long, set aside. Cut the leaves into about 3" slices, set aside.
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Heat the lightly salted water in a really big shallow pan. I use my 12" Circulon frying pan. Add the chard stems, cover, and simmer for about 3 minutes. Add the chard leaves, stir around, cover again & cook until just tender. Drain chard in large sieve.
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Heat the olive oil over medium flame in the same pan (no need to wash). Add the finely sliced garlic and stir until fragrant. Add the olives and preserved lemon. Stir around for a couple of minutes. Add the chard and stir to distribute the mixture evenly. Cook for about 5 minutes or so until everything is nice and hot and well combined. Place in a pretty serving dish. Top with freshly ground grains of paradise, to taste. You probably won't need any additional salt, since the preserved lemons and olives will add plenty of salty flavor.
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Serve either hot or at room temperature.
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