Swiss Chard Debut

I have finally cooked Swiss chard and in case you haven't tackled the task, here is recipe worth trying!

This dish also represents my debut with fennel--thanks to a good friend who gave me all her spices this summer, I had it in the pantry.

The only changes I made to this recipe:  I used homemade bone broth (chicken) and we put extra on top of the mixture for extra sauciness. Also, I didn't have shallots so used onion. After reading the comments on the OP, I cut way back on the olive oil in the step for the chick peas. Finally, when taking out the vein of each chard leaf, I rinsed well and diced finely, adding them to the oil and garlic pan to saute until soft (prior to adding the chard). It would have been a lot of food to waste, and it turned out great.

Next time I'll be sure to make a crusty bread and I'll try to have fresh bay leaves on hand.

Roasted Garbanzo Beans and Garlic with Swiss Chard Bon Appétit | January 2008

by Michael Psilakis
3½ fork user rating

Yield: Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
Garbanzo Beans:
• 2 15.5-ounce cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained (about 3 cups)
• 10 garlic cloves, peeled (I only had minced in the fridge and was sure to use tons)
• 2 large shallots
• 3 small bay leaves, preferably fresh
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 1/4 cups extra-virgin olive oil

Chard:
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed (see above for what I had)
• 3 small bay leaves, preferably fresh
• 2 shallots, sliced (onion works fine)
• 2 bunches Swiss chard, center stems cut out, leaves coarsely torn (I just had one big bunch and used it all)
• 2 cups low-salt chicken broth (homemade bone broth is great here)
Preparation
Garbanzo beans:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine first 5 ingredients in 8x8x2-inch glass baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour oil over; cover dish with foil. Roast until garlic is tender, about 45 minutes. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly, cover, and chill. (I just poured around the dish 3 times)

Chard:
Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add garlic, bay leaves, and shallots. Cover; cook until shallots are tender, about 2 minutes. Uncover; add half of chard. Toss until chard wilts and volume is reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add remaining chard. Toss until chard wilts, about 2 minutes. Add broth. Cover and cook until chard is tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Season chard with salt and pepper. Transfer chard mixture to large sieve set over bowl and drain. DO AHEAD: Can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.
Drain garbanzos and reserve oil; discard bay leaves. Combine garbanzos and chard in large skillet. Add 2 tablespoons oil reserved from garbanzos. Toss over medium heat until warmed through, moistening with more oil by tablespoonfuls if needed, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
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