Swiss Chard, I heart you!!

Ok, second Swiss Chard installment from our CSA farm share! First one, below this post was my version of chard chips and collard chips made by dehydrating in my nuwave oven!! Yummy! After browsing the web a bit, I learned that the (red) woodsy stems, once trimmed a bit, can be cut up and stir-fried, steamed, boiled or sauteed..I saw several recipes, most sounded pretty good and were standard "wilt the greens" fare. Ok!! Let's give it a go! I am eager to try the red stems with my leafy greens.

1. Wash stems and leaves of chard REALLY well! Then dry.
2. Cut off very bottom of stems if thicker and toss those, I only had to cut off a teeny bit that had dried up. My stems were about 3" to 5" long. Not sure what is entirely proper as far as length goes. Cut stems into 1/2" or a bit smaller pieces and set aside. Stack the leaves and roll up tightly, then cut into ribbons. You may cut an additional crosswise cut if you choose. (I did).
3. In a large heated skillet, heat some olive oil, (any oil/fat you choose is fine) add some chopped garlic, a bit of onions and some bacon and cook until softened. I did not have onions chopped or any bacon. I DID have real bacon bits from Oscar Mayer ..so I added those and some dried onions. I know, I know!!! But TRUST me, if you don't have the others, this all works out!
4. Toss in the stem pieces first and saute for about 3-4 minutes. Add the leaves and push them around a bit! Cook them just until wilted, about 2-4 minutes. You can add a bit of salt and pepper here if you want.
5. Toss on plate and ENJOY!! Yummy! VERY woodsy stems however..but I like that. I read that you can blanch the stems/leaves in boiling water for 1-3 minutes, then drain that away and away will drain the bitterness.

NOTE: while my daughter and I were tasting the chard, I wondered how it would taste with a bit of honey drizzled on. We were right next to the honey.  This very dark, very strong heather honey we found in an outlet store in Boca. I LOVE honey, but this stuff is very strong! My daughter likes it though, so we decided to try it. I drizzled a little over a small portion of the cooked greens and we both tasted. WHOO HOOO!!! It was nirvana, people! Seriously!!! I don't know if the honey has to be dark, but it surely changes that dish to something amazing! It was sweet and savory..all bacon and garlic with that dark smoky honey taste. We ate it so fast it wasn't even funny! I say, CSA? Bring on that SWISS CHARD!!!! I can't wait to make this one again!  The pics might be hard to see, but it was bright, dark green and dark red and just a beautiful sight to behold!

Give it a try!