Ingredient of the week: Swiss Chard

One of my personal goals is to try veggies that I've never had and to figure out how to make things that I thought I didn't like in a way that I do like.  I'm doing this because I want to broaden my palette, which will also enable me to eat in-season for effectively.  To that end, every few weeks I'm choosing one of these items to try.

This past week I chose a recipe that used swiss chard. The dinner I had with it was fabulous and I felt really good eating it.  This meal hit 2 of my goals: using a new veggie and shifting to brown rice (better for me when it's not simply plain).

Asian Marinated Steak and Stir-fried greens with Brown Rice:

(serves 2)

2 Rib-eye steaks (I choose 6 ounce grass-fed, organic Rib Eyes)

Marinade:

1 shallot, chopped

1 Jalapeno, minced

1 clove of garlic, chopped or minced

1 tbsp soy

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp fresh lime juice

2 tsp fish sauce

Marinate steak overnight.

Cook stovetop in 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat, 4 minutes each side for medium rare.

1 bunch Swiss chard

2 heads broccoli

2 baby bok choy

1 shallot, chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped or minced

1 inch piece ginger, minced

Canola Oil

Pinch of red pepper flakes

Ponzu (a citrus soy, but I used regular soy with a squeeze of lemon juice)

Toasted Sesame Oil

3 cups cooked short-grain brown rice (leftover/cold)

1. Have at hand three medium bowls. Prepare the vegetables by first washing them; shake off the water but don’t bother to dry them. Prepare the Swiss chard by first removing the ribs from the leaves; finely chop the ribs and place them in a bowl, then cut the leaves into slivers and place them in another bowl. Cut the stem from the broccoli, finely chop it, and add it to the chard stems. Then cut the broccoli tops into small florets, and place these in the bowl with the chard leaves. Finally, slice the bok choy into diagonal slivers, and place these in their own bowl.
2. Heat enough oil to cover the bottom of a large skillet. When hot, add the shallot, garlic, ginger and red pepper; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant (just a couple minutes). Add the chard and broccoli stems — and another slug of canola oil if necessary — and cook over medium heat until almost tender, stirring often. Add the chard leaves and broccoli florets and continue to stir-fry until almost tender (or turn the heat down, add a bit of water and cover, to steam instead of stir-fry).
3. When the vegetables are almost cooked through, turn the heat up to medium-high (removing the lid first, if you were steaming) and add the bok choy. Stir-fry for a minute or two, lower heat to medium, then add a big splash of ponzu and a drizzle of sesame oil. Stir to mix, then push vegetables to the outside rim of the pan and dump rice into the center. With a large wooden spoon break up the rice, and spread it out in the pan. Once the rice is warmed through, stir the vegetables into the rice. Season to taste with extra ponzu. Serve hot.

This rice dish is tasty, but other ingredients could be added for additional flavor (perhaps additional red pepper flakes).

5/15: added shitaake mushroom to the greens and rice, which added a nice early flavor.  A good addition!