Recipes for Swiss Chard - Swiss Chard with Orange and Bacon

Swiss Chard is a leafy green with a slightly bitter taste, similar to kale, and is very popular among Mediterranean cooks. Swiss chard is so called to distinguish it from French spinach varieties by 19th century seed catalogue publishers.

Although it is the leaves of the Swiss Chard that are eaten, Swiss Chard actually hails from the same species as the garden beet, which is cultivated for its edible root, not its leaves.

Typically, most recipes for Swiss Chard cook or saute mature leaves and stalks, but if the plant is young and tender, you may want to try adding swiss chard raw to salads for a distinctive Mediterranean flavor.

This is one of our favorite recipes for Swiss Chard, courtesy of Home Made Simple, and is the perfect light accompaniment for any meal.

Swiss Chard with Orange and Bacon

INGREDIENTS
2 lbs (907 g) Swiss or red chard, tough stems discarded and leaves coarsely chopped
4 slices lean bacon, diced
Zest of 1 orange, finely grated
1 cup (250 ml) freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tblsp (30 ml) unsalted butter
Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the chard about 3 minutes, until bright green and tender. Drain, squeezing out any excess water from the leaves.
In a skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer bacon to a plate. Pour the orange juice into the same skillet. Bring to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is reduced and slightly thickened, about 4 minutes.
Turn off heat. Stir in butter or margarine, orange zest and chard.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving dish, top with diced bacon and serve.

Tip: To make this dish vegetarian friendly, simply substitute a soy-based product for the lean bacon. Look for soy bacon or tempeh bacon in the natural foods refrigerated section of your local grocery or specialty store.

Enjoy!

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