Pickled rainbow chard

Name: Pickled rainbow chard
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 bunch (about 250g) rainbow chard, washed and cut into 1cm slices; 2 teaspoons salt flakes; 2 teaspoons brown sugar; ¼ cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil; Juice of 1 lemon; Freshly ground pepper

Kylie Kwong

October 19, 2011

Time:< 30 mins

I first cooked with chard when I came across it in Vanya Cullen's biodynamic vegetable garden. I just could not resist pulling up a few bunches of glorious rainbow chard, with its vibrant colours. It has rough-textured, robust leaves and very strong stems, so I discard a lot of the fibrous stem and then slice and blanch the tender parts of the stems and the leaves, before I stir-fry it with ginger and tamari or pickle it, as here.

Ingredients

1 bunch (about 250g) rainbow chard, washed and cut into 1cm slices
2 teaspoons salt flakes
2 teaspoons brown sugar
¼ cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Freshly ground pepper

Method

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil, add chard and simmer for 3 minutes, then refresh under cold running water. Drain well, squeezing out excess water with your hands.
Sprinkle chard with salt and sugar, then mix thoroughly. Leave to stand for 1 hour. Place chard in a colander, squeezing with your hands to remove all excess liquid. Add oil, lemon juice and pepper, mix well and leave to stand for 10 minutes before serving.