Cabin Cooking: Creamed Swiss Chard for Two

I planted two closely spaced three-foot rows of Swiss Chard from seed in March, and now it's ready to harvest. The stems can be cooked, but I use only the leaves. Swiss Chard is an excellent source of vitamins C, K, A and B, and minerals including calcium, potassium and iron. Another great thing chard, it's low in calories, about 7 for 1 cup raw.

You can use chard much like spinach. I find it's a bit stronger in flavour, but goes well raw in salads or steamed. For dinner, I like to make creamed chard to go with steaks or roasts when Wayne cooks them on the barbecue.

Creamed Swiss Chard
for Two
2 pats of butter or margarine
2 thick slices of onion diced
1 wedge of green pepper diced
1 teaspoon fines herbs
1 tablespoon of flour
½ cup milk or cream
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups coarsely chopped chard

Melt two pats of butter in a frying pan. Add onion, pepper and herbs, and cook on low heat until soft. Stir in flour and cook for about two minutes, but don’t let it brown. Add milk and stir until it thickens. Add salt and pepper to taste (I like Lawry’s Lemon Pepper). If the sauce is too thick, just add a little milk. Add Swiss Chard and stir. It looks like a lot, but will cook down to make two nice sized servings.

It’s so easy to make, I like to do it fresh each time. But if you like leftovers, you can increase the proportions and save some for another meal. It warms nicely with a little extra milk.

Thank you to my friend Margaret (Thistle Garden) for introducing me to Swiss Chard. Now I know it's an excellent vegetable to grow in my garden for nearly year-round fresh side dishes.

Do you have any favourite Swiss chard recipes? I’d love to hear them. -- Margy