JoAnn wrote:
> may i ask, i always wanted to try Swiss chard, but they charge $2.99 a
bunch
> for it at my grocery store, and i never bought it, simply because i have
no
> idea what to do with it and didn't want to waste $2.99.
> does one cook it like any other green?  eat it in a salad?  treat it like
> spinach?
> any ideas?

Lots. Chard is my favorite leafy green veggie. All types are excellent. The
stems are a lot like celery, the leaves alot like spinach, which raises a
challenge if you cook them (you can eat them raw -- they taste quite earthy
and good.)

If you cook them, you generally have to cook the stems longer than the
leaves. Tear off the leaves from the stems. Slice the stems. Saute the
slices and then add the leaves and cook much like you would spinach, the
leaves cook very fast. Or, you can blanch the stems in boiling water or
microwave them. Or you can cut the stems and leaves and cook together with
liquid and shallots and garlic through long cooking in a braise. Lots of
possibilities.

--Richard