Serves
2 People
Cooking Time
20 minutes
Season
Dietary
This luxurious dish makes the most of chard's ability to soften with cooking, but not turn to mush like its cousin spinach. The richness of the cream is complemented by the lemon crunch of the croutons. To make it even more fancy you could try substituting mascarpone for the cream.
Ingredients:
- 2 slices of bread, torn into tiny pieces
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 250g swiss chard
- 50g butter
- 150ml double cream
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped including green tops
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Toss bread pieces, oil, and lemon zest on a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt. Toast in the oven, tossing once, until golden brown - approx. 8–10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cook chard leaves in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 1 minute. Drain and transfer to a bowl of ice water to cool. Drain and squeeze well in a clean kitchen towel to remove excess moisture.
3. Heat butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions along with chard ribs and stems, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring often, until tender for 5–8 minutes.
4. Add cream; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring often, until thickened, for about 4 minutes. Add chard leaves and cook, stirring, until warmed through and coated with cream sauce; season with salt and pepper.
5. Top with breadcrumbs just before serving.
