Chard
A beet family vegetable with crinkly green leaves and celery like stalks. Stalks can very from a light silvery to deep red color. Red chard = rhubarb chard = ruby chard, with green leaves and red stalks, is slightly more tender and flavorful than white chard = green chard, with white stalks and green leaves, but the two are interchangeable in most recipes.
Season
July - September
How to select
Available year round but true harvest is summer. Look for crisp stalks.
How to store
Store in the refrigerator in plastic for 3 days.
How to prepare
braise, saute, steam. Swiss chard is used much like spinach, except that it has an appealing beet-like flavor and a heavier texture, which requires longer cooking. Many cooks simply saute it in olive oil and serve it as a side dish.
Matches well with
lemon, peppers, saffron
Substitutions
beet greens OR spinach OR turnip greens OR bok choy OR escarole OR mustard greens