Do you get to a point in the never ending season of greens where you run out of good ideas? This super simple sauteed ruby red swiss chard and mushrooms adds just enough of a tweak – mushrooms!! – to make you love your sauteed greens again.
Just over a week ago, I had the opportunity to attend an amazing food writers’ conference in Philadelphia – Eat Write Retreat. Packed into 2 1/2 days, there was a lot of eating and writing, but truly not much “retreating.” One of my favorite sessions of the weekend was a presentation by local mushroom farmers, Tony and Joe D’Amico. We got a close up look at a mushroom’s journey from farm to table and were wowed by the live displays they were able to bring in for us to explore.
I have always been a mushroom fan. I never met a mushroom I did not like. Their versatility is incredible – a large portabello mushroom can be its own meal, while smaller mushrooms – chopped, sauteed, or blended – add flavor and texture to almost any dish.
Thankfully, for the past few weeks, I have been happy to see local mushrooms popping up in my weekly CSA box. Due to our extended gray and dreary spring, we are also still getting a steady supply of local chard. I could eat one bunch of chard all by myself – like a lot of leafy greens, it has a tendency to shrink down into an incredibly small amount within minutes over medium heat. Perusing my fridge the other day, I knew the perfect side dish for dinner would be sauteed chard and mushrooms.
Preparing this dish is incredibly easy – I often make it for a quick lunch some days as well. For this side dish, I used four ingredients – but you could skip the onion and garlic and it will still be delicious.
Ruby Red Swiss Chard – Hard to believe that color is real!
Ingredients:
Olive oil and/or butter
1/2 small onion, sliced
1 or 2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bunch of chard, bottom stem removed and leaves cut into ribbons
1 handful of mushrooms, sliced
Directions:
In a dutch oven or large frying pan, heat the olive oil and butter together. Add in the onion and garlic and let that saute for a couple of minutes over medium heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and stir to coat evenly with the butter and oil. Finally, add the chopped chard. In minutes, your large heap of chard will be reduced to a small pile of beautiful dark green leaves. Season with a little bit of salt and pepper and serve immediately.
Do you love mushrooms, too??
You might want to check out the Mushroom Council… Yes. There is such a thing as the Mushroom Council! Their website has a ton of excellent recipes using mushrooms.
