Photo of Braised Swiss Chard with Currants and Pine Nuts by WW

Braised Swiss Chard with Currants and Pine Nuts

4
Points®
Total Time
37 min
Prep
10 min
Cook
27 min
Serves
4
Difficulty
Easy
This sweet-and-sour braise is a tasty way to highlight the fabulous flavor of chard. It pairs well with grilled meats or tofu, as well as meaty grilled vegetables like eggplant or mushrooms. Swiss chard is related to beets. It has celery-like stalks that can be white or vivid rainbow hues and bumpy deep green leaves. If chard is available in the supermarket, substitute the leafy greens on a bunch of beets, mature spinach, or dinosaur kale. Leftover sauteed greens are delicious reheated to top toast for savory crostini or tossed with hot cooked pasta for a quick vegetarian meal.

Ingredients

Pine nuts

2 Tbsp

Uncooked Swiss chard

¾ pound(s), leaves separated from stems* (about 1 large bunch)

Olive oil

1 Tbsp

Onion

1 medium, diced (about 1 1/4 cups)

Dried currants

cup(s)

Apple juice

cup(s)

Kosher salt

1 tsp

Apple cider vinegar

1 Tbsp

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Place pine nuts on a cookie sheet and toast until golden brown, about 5 to 6 minutes; set aside.
  2. Meanwhile, coarsely chop chard stems and leaves – making sure to keep the leaves and stems separate from one another; set aside.
  3. Heat oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook, stirring frequently, until they start to soften, about 5 minutes. Add chard stems and reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring frequently, about 4 minutes. Add currants and apple juice; stir well to combine. Cover skillet; cook for 5 minutes more.
  4. Add chard leaves to skillet in 3 batches, mixing well between each batch; cover and cook until leaves are tender, stirring halfway through, about 6 to 7 minutes.
  5. Remove skillet from heat and sprinkle with salt and vinegar; stir to combine. Serve sprinkled with pine nuts.
  6. Yields about 3/4 cup chard and 1 1/2 teaspoons pine nuts per serving.

Notes

*Trim away any brown ends from chard; separate leaves from stems by tearing away leaves into bite-sized pieces. Thoroughly wash leaves by repeatedly submerging them in a large bowl of cold water; repeat process until no grit remains in bottom of bowl. Set washed leaves in a colander to drain. The leaves do not need to be spun dry — any water clinging to the leaves will help in the braising process. Next, wash chard stems. If you don't have apple juice on hand, you can substitute apple cider, chicken broth, or even water in the preparation.Raisins or cranberries would make a fine substitute for the currants. This recipe works equally well with other tender spring greens such as beet greens.