Swiss Chard

Introduction: Take A Walk With Me Child...

Strolling through the modern American mega-market produce section, it's not hard to see who has won "top billing" on our dinner tables.  With my shopping cart ready to collect the bounty to fulfill my nightly culinary cravings and dreams; a moment to pause and take a mental snapshot of what I see.  


*Keep in mind, this is the view of an average Tulsa grocery store produce department... results may vary depending on where you live.


Front and center is rows and rows of bananas, a few plantains for the adventurous, and directly behind it are strawberries, raspberries and all the citrus fruits.  It made me wonder if the person responsible for this arrangement was reading the diary of a British Naval Officer circa 1750.


Not to make light of the important discovery of the healthy benefits of eating fruits packed with Vitamin C, but it's clear to see that after nearly 300 years (and modern ocean-travel), the top dog of the nutritional lottery is Ascorbic Acid.  We will see in a moment that there are other resources available that will offer plentiful Vitamin C, but aren't being promoted like The Citrus Family.


If you ask me, I think we are land-locked and a little too enamored with the visual appeal of a TROPICAL OASIS greeting us as we walk into a grocery store.  Some of us recognize the huge carbon footprint that it creates to have such a display year-round.  Is there a more sustainable way to promote eating fresh fruits or attaining precious Vitamin C?


Something to think about...


After going to the store for a few decades and buying the same old produce over and over... let's see if this list sounds familiar:  Potatoes, Onions, Carrots, Celery, Green Peppers, Tomatoes, Garlic, Lettuce, Spinach and maybe some Broccoli or Cabbage.  You can tell that this is the majority of what people buy year round, just by how prominent they are displayed.  If I was funnier, that would be a David Letterman Top Ten List, with broccoli and cabbage duking it out at #10 just to get on the list.


What else is hiding in the produce section that I haven't discovered yet? And are those items more or less nutritional, do they taste awful... is that why they are hiding?


Swiss Chard is one of those hiders... and packs a powerful nutritional punch.  It's a shame more people aren't eating it.  As a matter of fact, it's a shame more people aren't growing it in their perfectly manicured front yard landscape.  It's a hardy grower and very visually appealing if you get the colored varieties.

Swiss Chard: The Little Big Man of Nutrition

Swiss Chard is in the beet family, but cultivated more for its leafs than its edible root bulbs.  The Wikipedia entry has a general, although disappointingly brief, summary of information.  The World's Healthiest Foods article about Swiss Chard, has much more information and a list of useful references for further investigation.  Here's a little bit about what they say regarding swiss chard's nutritional profile:

If vegetables got grades for traditional nutrients alone, Swiss chard would be one of the vegetable valedictorians. The vitamin and mineral profile of this leafy green vegetable contains enough "excellents" to ensure its place at the head of the vegetable Dean's List. Our rating system awards Swiss chard with excellent marks for its concentrations of vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, magnesium, manganese, potassium, iron, vitamin E, and dietary fiber. Swiss chard also emerges as a very good or good source of copper, calcium, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, protein, phosphorus, vitamin B1, zinc, folate, biotin, niacin and pantothenic acid.

Ah interesting... Swiss Chard is an excellent source of Vitamin C, plus a nice B Vitamin array and healthy minerals and fiber.  It's not as sweet as citrus fruits, this must be why it hasn't caught on with the American palate yet.


An invaluable resource for us savvy science-geek foodies, is provided online by the USDA and allows us all access to nutritional information about everything food-related we could possibly want to study.  It's called the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference (Release 22).


A new one comes out every year, so this is the 22nd year it has been made available.  You can search the database online or download it to your computer and go nuts analyzing all your recipes. You can also look at some nutritional profiles of fast-food offerings... very enlightening.

Chard, swiss, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt

New Search

Refuse: 0% NDB No: 11765 (Nutrient values and weights are for edible portion)

Nutrient	Units	Value per 100 grams	Number of Data Points	Std. Error	1.00 X 1 cup, chopped -------175g
Proximates
Water	g	92.65	0		162.14
Energy	kcal	20	0		35
Energy	kJ	84	0		147
Protein	g	1.88	1		3.29
Total lipid (fat)	g	0.08	1		0.14
Ash	g	1.26	1		2.21
Carbohydrate, by difference	g	4.13	0		7.23
Fiber, total dietary	g	2.1	1		3.7
Sugars, total	g	1.10	0		1.93
Minerals
Calcium, Ca	mg	58	1		102
Iron, Fe	mg	2.26	1		3.95
Magnesium, Mg	mg	86	1		150
Phosphorus, P	mg	33	1		58
Potassium, K	mg	549	1		961
Sodium, Na	mg	415	0		726
Zinc, Zn	mg	0.33	0		0.58
Copper, Cu	mg	0.163	0		0.285
Manganese, Mn	mg	0.334	0		0.585
Selenium, Se	mcg	0.9	0		1.6
Vitamins
Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid	mg	18.0	0		31.5
Thiamin	mg	0.034	0		0.060
Riboflavin	mg	0.086	0		0.150
Niacin	mg	0.360	0		0.630
Pantothenic acid	mg	0.163	0		0.285
Vitamin B-6	mg	0.085	0		0.149
Folate, total	mcg	9	0		16
Folic acid	mcg	0	0		0
Folate, food	mcg	9	0		16
Folate, DFE	mcg_DFE	9	0		16
Choline, total	mg	28.7	0		50.2
Betaine	mg	0.1	0		0.2
Vitamin B-12	mcg	0.00	0		0.00
Vitamin B-12, added	mcg	0.00	0		0.00
Vitamin A, RAE	mcg_RAE	306	0		536
Retinol	mcg	0	0		0
Carotene, beta	mcg	3652	0		6391
Carotene, alpha	mcg	45	0		79
Cryptoxanthin, beta	mcg	0	0		0
Vitamin A, IU	IU	6124	0		10717
Lycopene	mcg	0	0		0
Lutein + zeaxanthin	mcg	11015	0		19276
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol)	mg	1.89	0		3.31
Vitamin E, added	mg	0.00	0		0.00
Vitamin D (D2 + D3)	mcg	0.0	0		0.0
Vitamin D	IU	0	0		0
Vitamin K (phylloquinone)	mcg	327.3	0		572.8
Lipids
Cholesterol	mg	0	0		0
Amino acids
Tryptophan	g	0.018	0		0.032
Threonine	g	0.086	0		0.150
Isoleucine	g	0.154	0		0.270
Leucine	g	0.135	0		0.236
Lysine	g	0.103	0		0.180
Methionine	g	0.020	0		0.035
Phenylalanine	g	0.114	0		0.199
Valine	g	0.114	0		0.199
Arginine	g	0.122	0		0.213
Histidine	g	0.038	0		0.066
Other
Caffeine	mg	0	0		0
Theobromine	mg	0	0		0

USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 22 (2009)

NutritionData.com has a useful tool that shows more visually how Swiss Chard stacks up, and you can click through here to read the full page, which also duplicates the nutritional information above from the USDA SRS 21 (last year's version).


From the Nutrition Data information, the one negative about swiss chard boiled and drained with salt added, is that it has too much sodium.  This is probably using an amount of salt required for canning and preservative processes.  The little half teaspoon amount you are likely to use cooking raw swiss chard should be considerably less and not an issue.


When we salt to taste, we don't need to create a brine.  Sodium is one of those nutrients that "nutritionism" has completely maligned and distorted in the public's mind.  If we stay away from the processed foods like canned soups, ramen noodles, and all the sauces, salad dressings and condiments, replacing them with home made versions as much as possible, then our sodium intake wouldn't be an issue.


Using low-sodium products is a step in the right direction, if you can't take the leap out of the center aisles in the grocery store, where all the bad stuff is located.



http://www.formerfatguyblog.com/2008/03/01/recipe-red-swiss-chard-with-onions-and-raisins.html

Swiss Chard: Recipes

I like the Former Fat Guy's recipe, seems to be a nice variation on this Epicurious recipe, but if you're not a raisin lover or familiar with goji berries, it may be a little daunting to try for folks who ease up and tread lightly when "change" is thrust upon them.


A good rule of thumb, for trying Swiss Chard is to think of it as a Spinach substitute.  If you like Spinach Artichoke Dip... then try Swiss Chard Artichoke Dip. FarmGirlFare has done exactly that with her version of garden to table cuisine:





Yes, I'm going to provide links and show pictures of anyone out there putting good healthy food in the spotlight.  We're all on the same team and need to do as much as we can to support each other and help those folks sitting in a McDonald's drive-thru.... to see the light.


My own personal contribution to great recipes using Swiss Chard?  I have a few.


The first one is a very Americanized version of the Iranian dish "Ghormeh Sabzi", which is a very popular dish in the Persian culture and has a number of variants based on the flora and fauna of the particular region.  Notably from the link above, you will notice no Swiss Chard.  Which is why I respectfully call my dish something else... and say that it is a "Sabzi-like" dish.  I like exploring world cuisine, but know when I'm attempting something that others hold dear in their food culture traditions, that I must honor them as much as I can.

Persian Herb Stew

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup Spinach
• 1 cup Swiss Chard
• 1 cup Dandelion Greens
• 1 Bunch Cilantro
• 1 juice of freshly squeezed Lemon
• 1 medium-sized yellow onion diced
• 1 shallot diced
• 16 oz can of chickpeas drained and rinsed
• 16 oz can of red kidney beans drained and rinsed
• 1 Tbl olive oi
• l1 tsp Fenugreek
• 1 tsp Coriander seeds
• 1 tsp Turmeric
• Salt & Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

In a stock pot over medium heat sweat your onions and shallots in olive oil.  Once they start browning andcaramelizing then add all your greens, let them cook down before lowering heat.  Add lemon juice and beans, simmer for 30 minutes adding water if needed.  Take off heat and add cilantro and other spices.  Serve over Rice Polow (my version is saffron-infused rice, dried currants, pine nuts, lemon juice and yogurt).

When I was younger, my aunt Polly would serve a version of this during her weekly Baha'i meetings.  I've taken the liberty of adding a few things, but I've maintained the vegetarian status of this dish.  If you look at the Ghormeh recipe again, they serve this with lamb.  Meatless or not, this is packed with flavor and nutrients.


For the second dish, I am modifying a Belgian Stoemp recipe to include Swiss Chard.  After reading the small blurb on Wikipediaabout this dish, and seeing that it was very similar to the Irish Colcannon, I went to the store and started gathering ingredients:

Belgian Stoemp raw ingredients: Red Potatoes, Turnips, Baby Carrots, Onion, Garlic, Swiss Chard, Dill, Farmer's cheese, Greek Yogurt, Half & Half, Salt & Pepper and Nutmeg

Typically this dish is a collection of root vegetables like potatoes and carrots, with the green being  cabbage.  The Belgians also love their pork products, so bacon is added and the Stoemp itself is served along side a bratwurst or other popular pork sausage.
To replace the animal fats and proteins, I took the bacon out and added a mild farmer's cheese and the versatile Greek yogurt, which also were utilized for thickening.
Instead of using butter, healthier extra virgin olive oil imparts great flavor and adds better fat.  Lastly, instead of just having potatoes and carrots as the root vegetables, I also added turnips to the recipe for their subtle flavor enhancement.

Belgian Stoemp

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Bunch (about 2 cups chopped) Swiss Chard
• 3 Red Potatoes cubed, with skins left on
• 3 Turnips cubed and peeled
• 8 oz Baby Carrots
• 1 bunch fresh dill
• 1 medium-sized yellow onion
• 6-8 garlic cloves
• 4 oz Farmer's cheese
• 1 pint Half & Half
• 4 oz Greek Yogurt
• Dash of ground Nutmeg
• Salt & Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

In a stock pot over medium heat, sweat onions until translucent and add potatoes, turnips and carrots.  Continue on medium heat and stir occasionally until potatoes and turnips are fork tender, about 30-45 minutes. Add Swiss Chard and let it start cooking down before adding Half & Half slowly in stages, stirring inbetween. Add Greek yogurt and begin mashing vegetables with a fork or potato masher.  Leaving big chunks is desirable.  As mixture begins to thicken add garlic, dill and farmer's cheese and reduce heat to a simmer. Stir in melted cheese and serve.

This is how lumpy and runny Stoemp will look right before taking it off the stove

...in the final plate presentation, I used leftover breakfast bacon and the uncooked, colorful Swiss Chard ribs as a garnish.





Swiss chard is definitely a winner at the dinner table and on the waist line.  Don't be afraid to use it and experiment.


Next weekend we'll look at Escarole and an African Kasha salad recipe, one of my favorites.  Would love to hear any feedback or suggestions for other articles.  


Until next time.... Dig In!


Chef Archer