Swiss Chard Recipe

I have been a wee bit lazy in posting this past month. Lot's of fun projects are flying off the Bernina, but I have not taken many photos.... guess I should do that, hmmm? Anywhoo, I will post some fun project soon, so keep checking back.

Autumn is here, winter is on its way. Hubby and I went to a wonderful friend gathering this weekend. The theme for the dinner party was Italian Harvest-y Faire. The friendship was fabulous and each dish was exquisite!

This was my first time with making Swiss Chard and it was sooo hearty and flavorful that I thought I would share the dish with you. As always in my kitchen, I am not much on following one recipe. I google my way through a bunch of recipes and then put together what I think sounds the best!

This one was definitely a keeper.

Swiss Chard with Pancetta Shallot Cracklings

Olive oil
1/2 cup chopped pancetta

3-4 large minced shallots

3-4 minced garlic cloves

3 large bunches of beautiful, colorful swiss chard

1/2 to 1 cup chicken broth or water

Coat a large skillet or pot with olive oil. Cook pancetta until crisp. Remove, leaving drippings in pan. Cook shallots until brown. Add garlic for 2 minutes, being careful not to burn. Remove garlic and shallots, leaving dripping in pan.

While all of this is cooking, clean chard thoroughly. Chop stems into small bitesize pieces, then roughly chop leaves.

On medium heat, add stems to the pan with drippings, in large handfuls at a time, adding chicken broth as needed and covering to steam. Let the chard cook down for a few minutes before adding the next handful. Continue until all stems and leaves have been added. Cover and let simmer for 30-45 minutes. Add 1/3 of cracklings back into the pan for the last 5 minutes of cooking to add lots of flavor.

Remove to serving dish and add remaining cracklings and mix thoroughly. Enjoy!!