Recipe From Kalyn's Kitchem - Baked Swiss Chard Stems

I am still collecting an abundunce of swiss chard.  Today I will be freeaing the swiss chard, but the stems do not freeze well so I wanted to find a recipe using the stems. In my search, I stumbled upon another blogger, Kalyn's Kitchen. So here is a recipe using stems

Baked Swiss Chard Stems Recipe with Olive Oil and Parmesan

Last week I posted a great recipe for Swiss Chard and Mushroom Squares, and told everyone not to throw away their chard stems, since I'd spotted this recipe on Up a Creek without a PatL. Pat also introduced me to the book the recipe came from, Vegetables Every Day, without a doubt one of the best cookbooks I've ever owned. (Thanks again, Pat!) The cookbook version of Swiss Chard Stems with Butter and Parmesan was no doubt delicious, but I decided to substitute the butter for a slight misting of olive oil, and it still tasted wonderful. I think it would take as many as three bunches of chard to come up with the pound of chard stems the original recipe calls for, but I used the stems from one bunch of chard which made about two servings (or in my case, a whole dinner because I ate the entire thing at one sitting.) If you like chard but haven't stumbled on a good way to cook the stems, this is simple and delicious, and I love the idea that you're making a side dish out of something that might get thrown away.

I did share a lot of good information about swiss chard in the post last week, but in case you missed how nutritious chard is, it's something you should be eating every week. Plus, if you're a vegetable gardener, here's an expert's take on why you should be growing swiss chard. Swiss chard is also one of the most versatile ingredients you could ever ask for. I've noticed over the last few weeks that a lot of food bloggers are falling in love with swiss chard, so I thought I'd join the trend and use the same ingredient two weeks in a row for Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted this week by Erin of The Skinny Gourmet. (She's currently living in Ghana which makes me so jealous I can hardly stand it.) Now here's how I made this fabulous side dish from chard stems, plus lots of other chard ideas from other bloggers.

Just a reminder of how to cut the chard leaves away from the stems. I think leaving a bit of leaf on the stem is fine; I actually liked the way it added some color to the stems.

I cut the stems on the diagonal, cutting each chard stem into 3 or 4 pieces, with each piece about three inches long.

Stems are parboiled in salted water, then misted with olive oil and sprinkled with coarsely grated parmesan cheese. Bake at 400 F for about 20 minutes. Yum!

Baked Swiss Chard Stems with Olive Oil and Parmesan
(Makes 2 side dish servings, can be doubled. Recipe slightly adapted from Vegetables Every Day by Jack Bishop.)

1 bunch chard stems
1/4 tsp. salt
olive oil for spraying pan and chard
1/4 cup coarsely grated parmesan cheese (I used Grana Padano from Costco, but any type of hard aged cheese would be good here.)
coarse ground black pepper to taste

Trim any discolored ends from chard stems, then cut stems on an angle into pieces about 3 inches long. If some stems are very thick, you may wish to cut them lengthwise so all pieces are approximately the same thickness.

Preheat oven to 400 F (or 375 F with convection.) Bring a pot of water to a boil, add salt and chard stems and boil about 6 minutes. Let chard drain well.

Spray a non-stick baking dish with olive oil. Place chard in the pan and mist lightly with olive oil, then sprinkle with cheese. (If doubling the recipe, make two layers, misting each layer with oil and sprinkling with cheese.) Bake about 20 minutes, or until chard is softened and cheese is slightly browned on the edges. Season with fresh ground black pepper if desired and serve hot.

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Here is the link to the page with this recipe, as well as a  number of other recipes using swiss chard. 
http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2008/02/baked-swiss-chard-stems-recipe-with.html