Topic: Rainbow Chard

[AnnieD]

I got some small plants from the nursery and they are doing brilliantly. Please can you tell me how to cook them? I picked a few leaves and boiled them for about 5 minutes, but they went really limp, but tasted great.
Ay ideas welcome 

[Jayb]

I like them just gently cooked in a little butter, with garlic, salt and pepper. But also like them added to curries, or a Chard Aloo etc. I find separating and cooking the leaf part from the chopped stems works better if you can be bothered, though they don't stay crisp. Steamed or boiled is good too, though a good bit of seasoning helps.

Sauteed with a little chopped bacon formed into a shallow nest and then an egg cracked into it, lid on and let it gently poach, yum!

[small]

 I think they are the same plant as rhubarb chard? If so, I use the stripped stems in stirfries and stews, but mostly I eat the small leaves raw as salading, they produce copious quantities once they start going to seed in late summer, and then all through the winter and spring too. One of my favourite plants, a bit more 'meat' to the leaf than baby spinach, and lovely colours of course.

[BarriedaleNick]

I have eaten loads of chard and perpetual spinach this year as they did really well for me.
I don't boil it.  Just wash it drain it and the residual water left on the leaves is enough to cook\steam them.  In a pot with the lid on for a 2 mins max.  Obviously improved by butter, garlic and S&P.  I find if overcooked it turns to mush very quickly.

[AnnieD]

Thanks all - got lots to practice with 

[johhnyco15]

sowed brightlights last week always pop a row in  very versatile as mentioned really easy to set from seed just like beetroot and a lot cheaper too

[Pescador]

Annie, Barriedale Nick has got it spot on! Minimum cooking is essential.

[Obelixx]

Lots of recipes for chard on BBC Good Food - https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/search/recipes?query=chard

I find it's best to separate the leaf from the stalks and treat the leaf like spinach so minimal water and good eaten in salad when young or steamed or stir fried with garlic and butter and maybe some chili.   The stalks are good stir fried or in pies, with pasta, in soups such as mineestrone.........