Photo by timsackton.Dish of the Week: Swiss Chard
Where: Coppi’s Organic, your local farmers’ market
Sesame Street and Sam Kass say we should eat our colors, but dark, leafy greens are an often neglected and misunderstood “anytime food.” Kale can be tough and bitter, and collards are reduced to gray-green slime if overcooked. Swiss chard, now overflowing at the farmers’ market and on seasonal menus, is a good alternative because its flavor is milder, and it cooks quickly (think sauteed spinach). Most importantly, chard can be downright delicious when prepared well.
Coppi’s take on Swiss chard could turn almost any vegetable hater into a convert. The dark green leaves are sauteed and then tossed with toasted pine nuts, golden raisins, and a dollop of fresh ricotta cheese. Everything in this dish plays well together — the sweet raisins take off the chard’s bitter edge while the cheese adds richness, and the nuts give it a lively crunch.
However, if you’re a big texture eater, the softness of sauteed chard may be a turnoff. If crispy is your bag, try making chard chips. You might be familiar with kale chips, which involves roasting kale leaves until they’re crunchy and have lost most of their bitter flavor. Chard chips, in my humble opinion, are far superior to their kale cousins. Chard, with its thin leaves, cooks up so crisp it shatters when you bite into it, and tastes sweeter and nuttier to boot. If you close your eyes, it’s almost eating like a potato chip or those Asian roasted nori snacks. Not too shabby for something that’s supposed to be good for you. See below for a recipe.
Crispy Chard Chips
1 bunch of Swiss chard
olive oil
salt, pepper, sugar
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Wash and dry chard thoroughly. Slice each side of the leaf away from the tough center stem. Cut into rough 3″ squares, discard stems.
3. In a large bowl, drizzle chard with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar. Toss to coat. Lay chard pieces in a single layer on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
4. Bake until crisp, about 6-8 minutes.
Small Bites
Dino turns six
Dino is celebrating the restaurant’s sixth birthday through Thursday. Head over to Cleveland Park for a Venetian-inspired four-course menu and special goodies from Dino’s extensive wine cellar.
Breakfast + lunch
Brunch just got a little bit better. Cork will be starting a new Sunday brunch service on July 17. The menu includes some old favorites, as well as a number of new ways to get your daily serving of eggs.
Hop-lovers rejoice
Pizzeria Paradiso’s JulyPA is back. The restaurant’s three locations will be pouring nothing but IPAs on draft all month long. IPA fans will get a chance to try some new brews not usually found in D.C.; meanwhile, us hop-haters might want to seek out different environs until August.
Bloody Mary march
Belvedere and City Paper are hosting a Bloody Mary crawl through Capitol Hill tomorrow, July 9 from 2-6 p.m. The event kicks off at the Ugly Mug, and makes it way to Cava, Zest, Belga Cafe, Ugly Mug, Acqua Al 2, Bullfeathers and Capitol Lounge. Each location will have samples as well as food specials.
