# Swiss Chard & Kale **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 1, 2011, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiss-chard-kale/594882 "2011-09-01T20:39:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![3trew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/13edae/32.png) [@3trew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3trew)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2011, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiss-chard-kale/594882/21 "2011-09-04T18:18:46Z")
I like this one: remove the kale stems, chop the leaves, and boil them for about 10 minutes, then saute them with red onion and bacon or side pork, adding red wine vinegar at the last minute. It’s the first recipe I tried when I had a “What do I do with this kale now that I have some?” moment, and still one of the best I’ve encountered. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2011, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiss-chard-kale/594882/22 "2011-09-04T19:06:04Z")
Great, guys - now I have _too many_ things to do with chard and kale! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2011, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiss-chard-kale/594882/23 "2011-09-04T19:11:40Z")
> [@chiroptera](#): > > Adding vinegar to kale (either pre-soak or as a recipe ingredient) really does cut the bitterness. So either soak it for a while in some vinegar and water first, or look for a recipe that incorporates vinegar (especially red wine vinegar.) Balsamic vinegar would be doubleplusgood for this. I’ve cooked greens (sauteed) and then topped them with a balsamic vinegar reduction that is almost sweet (reduction: cook over medium heat till it gets somewhat syrupy, pour over/mix into greens). If you’re treating them like spinach, OTOH, why not try creamed spinach but with kale/chard? Even kids who don’t like spinach will sometimes eat it creamed. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2011, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiss-chard-kale/594882/24 "2011-09-04T20:25:39Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Great, guys - now I have _too many_ things to do with chard and kale! 😃 If you were just a little closer I’d invite you to browse my garden - my greens are going crazy, I actually passed out three grocery bags worth to some of my friends this morning and still have too much. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2011, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiss-chard-kale/594882/25 "2011-09-04T20:27:11Z")
A nice thing about having bunches of chard is that, once it’s cooked, you no longer have bunches of it. My favorite recipe is to fill up a big pot with it, add a can of chopped tomatos (drained–it’ll be wet enough anyway, a sauteed onion, peanut butter, and hot sauce. It’s sorta African. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiss-chard-kale/594882/26 "2011-09-05T23:09:28Z")
I was gifted with an armful of kale and no idea what to do with it. Also, 95 degrees in my kitchen. I cooked it down a bit, drained, cooled, and put in the freezer for future inspiration. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2011, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiss-chard-kale/594882/27 "2011-09-06T01:03:05Z")
Tonight I made the recipe in my OP with the chard and it was pretty good. Everyone’s advice to just cook it with some oil and garlic basically matched up with the recipe and it was fine. I actually liked the spines the best! I made that Tuscan soup and my parents were going nuts for it. Except I don’t like soup and I couldn’t bring myself to bring it home, cuz I’m just never going to eat it. Hopefully they eat it all up. I’ve got kale leftover and I am either going to make **needscoffee** ’s raisin and pine nut recipe (I got the stuff!) or kale chips. Oops I totally forgot to soak the kale in vinegar before adding it to the soup…oops! But I bet it will be fine, since there’s so much other shit in there. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2011, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiss-chard-kale/594882/28 "2011-09-06T03:31:12Z")
This recipe from a friend of mine is the shiznit. # =================== Colleen’s Chard Chowder Substitute other greens such as spinach or kale if you can’t find Swiss chard. 1 medium onion, chopped 2 ribs celery, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 4 cups red potatoes, cubed 1 medium carrot, cut in chunks 1 bay leaf 5 cups vegetable stock 4 cups chopped Swiss chard ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley 2 tsp dried thyme, crushed (or several fresh sprigs, whole) 1 sprig rosemary, whole ½ tsp black pepper In a soup pot, saute onion, celery, and garlic until softened, about 10 minutes. Add potatoes, carrot, bay leaf, and stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for about 30 minutes. Add Swiss chard, parsley, thyme, and rosemary and cook an additional 10 minutes. Add black pepper. Remove from heat. Remove bay leaf and herb sprigs. Puree half of the soup in a blender or use a handheld stick blender. I topped with some grated parmesan and croutons when serving. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiss-chard-kale/594882.md?page=1)