This monthly column explores root-to-leaf cooking, which uses all edible parts of the plant, with a focus on ingredients grown and sold locally. As well as helping to reduce at-home food waste, this approach makes room for kitchen creativity and introduces new flavors and foods that are right on the edge of your cutting board. Let’s eat something new!
Rainbow chard is one of the more vivid vegetables at the market, and one of the most versatile. The gorgeously hued stems draw the eye, but can get overlooked in recipes. In this recipe, chard stems are cooked twice — once simmered in a bath of salted water to soften, then roasted for a scant 10 minutes to achieve a sweetly caramelized note.
The sweet earthiness of these greens is a natural partner for black rice, which also sets a gorgeous background that really shows off the colorful chard. Pickled red peppers add bright tang and even more color. With cherries also in season, I couldn’t help but throw a small handful on top of the finished dish. If you don’t have cherries on hand, a few thin slices of plum would also be delicious. As always, you can make this dish your own and add a fried or poached egg, black beans, tofu cubes or any other ingredient that strikes your fancy.
Recipe: Roasted chard stems and gingery sautéed greens with coconut-milk black rice, pickled peppers and crushed cherries
Black rice
1 cup black or wild rice
1 can coconut milk (if can includes cream, skim cream off top to use in another step; replace with equivalent amount of water)
1 cup broth or water
Combine ingredients in a medium stovetop pan or rice cooker. Cover with lid. Bring to a low simmer and cook for about 45-60 minutes until all liquid has absorbed (or rice cooker finishes), depending on heat level and age of rice (older rice takes longer to cook). Remove from heat.
Pickled peppers
3 oz fresh Fresno pepper, red jalapeño or mild red pepper, depending on heat preference (about 1 cup sliced)
1 cup seasoned rice vinegar, or 1 cup unseasoned rice vinegar with 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tbsp salt
1 tsp whole coriander seeds
While rice cooks, thinly slice peppers into rounds. For milder heat, remove seeds. Put peppers and whole coriander in a standard canning jar or other heat-resistant container. Bring vinegar to a boil on the stove, then pour over peppers. Put lid on jar, shake (careful — it will be hot!) and let stand for 30 minutes or so. Once the jar is cool to the touch, remove lid to allow peppers to fully cool.
Roasted chard stems
Stems from 2 medium bunches of rainbow chard
Salt
1 tbsp avocado oil or other neutral oil
Bring a medium pot of heavily salted water to a boil on the stove (I use about 2 tbsp of salt). Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Wash chard and separate stems from leaves by folding leaves in half along the stem, and either cutting the stem out with a knife or using your hands to pull leaves from stems. Cut stems in half for roughly 4-inch stalks.
Put stems in boiling water and boil for about 6 minutes, until stems are fork-tender. Drain water, reserving about 1/2 cup for sautéing greens (save remaining water for another use).
Pour oil into 9×13 pan. Add stems and toss to coat; salt well. Roast 10 minutes until the stems are soft and beginning to caramelize.
Ginger sautéed greens
1 Tbsp neutral oil OR reserved coconut cream
2-3 cloves garlic
2 tsp freshly grated ginger
Greens from 2 bunches of chard
1/2 cup reserved water
Coarsely tear leaves into 2-3 inch pieces.
In the same pot used for stems, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and sauté for about 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the greens and turn to coat. Sauté for about 5 minutes until tender-crisp and bright green. If your greens are particularly thick, add the reserved 1/2 cup water and let the greens steam until water has evaporated. Don’t add any additional salt to the greens; chard has a very high amount of natural sodium, so added salt can make greens taste far too salty. You can adjust for salt after cooking if you like, but my greens didn’t need any.
Remove from heat.
Crushed cherries
1 cup fresh cherries, washed and stems removed.
Place cherries on rimmed cutting board or rimmed plate. Using the cupped palm of your hand, very gently crush cherries one at a time, being mindful of any bursts of juice. Remove pits from crushed cherries, and tear or chop cherries into rough pieces.
Assemble: Spoon rice into a bowl. Layer with chard stems and greens. Top dish with pickled peppers and crushed cherries. Makes 4 servings.
Hannah Green’s Root-to-Leaf column runs on the first Wednesday of every month.
