[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]
We spent last weekend in Shelburne Falls, MA, where we walked daily on the beautiful Bridge of Flowers. I will talk more about this visit in a future post, but in the meantime I wanted to share with you an image of this enchanting place.
Before we left for this trip, we had some friends over for dinner and I prepared bietola "olio e limone" as a side dish. I had quite a bit going on in the kitchen and this is a side dish I could prepare in advance and set aside until dinner time. It is also a vegetable dish I liked even as a child: My mother used to prepare chard this way.
The variety of chard with which I was familiar in Italy is the one with white stalk. After moving to California, I learned that chard comes also in other colors: I like all the varieties.
For my rendition of bietola olio e limone, if the chard has very long stalks, I cut them so that they are just a few inches long, and use the remaining in this recipe. Chard is also often sold with stems cut fairly short. Since I cook leaves and stalks together, for this dish I choose chard with a thinner, more tender stalk or chard with white stalk, which, according to this source is the softest kind.
I usually cook kale with just the water clinging to the leaves. I saw the same technique used to cook whole chard leaves in a recipe on the website of the Italian newspaper Il Corriere della Sera and I have adopted it in my rendition of chard with olive oil and lemon. However, I have read on this page that it is better to boil chard to decrease its bitterness. After using the cooking method in the recipe, chard does not taste bitter to me. In any case, you can certainly cook chard in boiling water and then use the same dressing given below.
In the recipe, I don't give exact measurements for the dressing ingredients: I like my chard quite lemony and I am partial to Meyer lemon, while you should follow your personal preference (and take into account that Meyer lemon has a milder flavor than regular lemon).
Ingredients:
- a bunch of Swiss chard (see note above regarding the stems)
- sea salt
- extra-virgin olive oil (olio extra-vergine di oliva) of good quality
- freshly squeezed juice of Meyer lemon (or of regular lemon)
Carefully wash the chard and place in a deep sauté pan or skillet with some water still clinging to the leaves. Cover and cook on medium-high heat for 2 minutes, then turn down to medium and cook for another 10 minutes or until the stems are tender. Check a couple of times to make sure the pan is not dry. If so, add some water. Alternatively, plunge chard into boiling water, cook until tender and drain. Place chard on a serving plate, sprinkle a bit of salt, and let cool to room temperature.
Cut leaves into 2-inch wide ribbons and stems into 1-inch long pieces. Place olive oil and lemon juice in a small jar, put the lid on and shake. Distribute some of the vinaigrette on the chard and toss lightly. Serve with the remaining vinaigrette on the side.
This is my contribution to edition #285 of Weekend Herb Blogging, an event started by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen, now organized by Haalo of Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once and hosted this week by Graziana from Erbe in Cucina (Cooking with Herbs).
This post contains the roundup of the event.
or launch the bietola olio e limone audio file [mp3].
[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]
[jump to Comments]
bietola olio e limone
Lo scorso weekend lo abbiamo trascorso a Shelburne Falls, nel Massachusetts, dove ogni giorno abbiamo camminato sopra il bellissimo Bridge of Flowers (ponte dei fiori). Parlerò più a lungo di questa visita in un altro post, ma nel frattempo volevo condividere un'immagine di questo angolo incantevole. Se non siete mai stati da quelle parti, il New England in generale è proprio carino.
Prima di partire, abbiamo avuto ospiti a cena due amici e ho preparato della bietola "olio e limone" per contorno. Avevo diverse cose in ballo in cucina e questo è un contorno che si può preparare in anticipo e mettere da parte fino all'ora di cena. È anche un tipo di verdura che mi piace fin da quando ero bambina. Mia madre preparava la bietola così.
La varietà di bietola che mi era familiare in Italia è quella con la costa bianca. In California ho conosciuto bietola di altri colori e mi piacciono tutte le varietà. Dal momento che cuocio foglie e coste insieme, per questa ricetta scelgo bietola con la costa più sottile e tenera.
Di solito cuocio il cavolo riccio con l'acqua che rimane sulle foglie dopo il lavaggio. Ho visto la stessa idea usata per cuocere le foglie di bietola intere in una ricetta sul sito del Corriere della Sera e l'ho adottata per la mia versione della bietola "olio e limone." Ho però letto su questa pagina che è meglio bollire la bietola per attutire il gusto amaro. Dopo la cottura secondo la ricetta di cui sopra, la bietola al mio palato non è sembrata amara. In ogni caso, potete bollire la bietola fino a quando sia tenera e poi condirla come descritto qui sotto.
Nella ricetta, non specifico le dosi del condimento: a me la bietola piace con molto limone e ho un debole per il limone Meyer (ho anche un'amica carissima che ne ha un albero prolifico). Voi seguite i vostri gusti (e tenete anche presente che il limone Meyer ha un sapore più delicato del limone comune).
Ingredienti:
- un mazzo di bieta (vedere nota sopra sulle coste)
- sale marino
- olio extra-vergine di oliva
- succo appena spremuto di limone Meyer lemon (o di limone comune)
Lavare bene la bietola e metterla in una padella alta con dell'acqua ancora sulle foglie. Coprire e cuocere a fuoco medio-alto per 2 minuti, poi altri 12 minuti a fuoco medio. Controllare un paio di volte che la padella non sia asciutta, nel qual caso aggiungere un po' d'acqua. In alternativa, tuffare la bietola in acqua portata a bollore e cuocere fino a che sia tenera, poi scolare. Mettere la bietola su un piatto da portata e salare leggermente. Lasciare intiepidire.
Tagliare le foglie a strisce di 5 cm e le coste in pezzi di 2.5 cm. Mettere olio e succo di limone in un piccolo barattolo, avvitare il tappo e scuotere. Distribuire parte della vinaigrette sulla bietola e mescolare. Servire con il resto della vinaigrette a parte.
Questo è il mio contributo all'edizione numero 285 di Weekend Herb Blogging, un evento creato da Kalyn di Kalyn's Kitchen, organizzato ora da Haalo di Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once e la cui versione italiana è organizzata da Brii di Briggis recept och ideer ed è ospitata questa settimana da Simona di Simona's Kitchen.
Your recipe is simple, straight forward, and all the better for it.
Clay and I discovered Shellbourne Falls quite by accident on our way through Mass. to Vermont. What a treasure! I have photos of many butterflies adorning the flowers on the bridge. Can't wait to read about your adventures!
Xoxo
Posted by: Christine | May 28, 2011 at 03:25 PM
I grew up eating chard the same way! The pizza with the ricotta salata and kale is really good Simona, you have to try it.
You didn't participate in this month's DB challenge. It was really too sweet for my taste.
Posted by: Laura | May 28, 2011 at 10:25 PM
Ciao Christine. I am so glad to read you've visited Shelburne Falls. When we were there, I thought you'd like all the flowers. There were even some trilliums :) I will put a few more photos in a post: it's a lovely place and we stayed in a very nice apartment.
Ciao Laura. I will certainly try the pizza with kale. Too much going on this month, including work deadlines and traveling and yes, I noticed the amount of sugar in the recipe.
Posted by: Simona Carini | May 29, 2011 at 06:37 AM
The place you visited looks beautiful and look forward to your post about it. The salad surely is wonderful. We eat chard here in Greece but I am not sure if we have this variety.
Posted by: Ivy | May 29, 2011 at 10:49 AM
I love swiss chards and I think that "olio e limone" is the perfect way to cook them! Thank you for joining WHB.
Posted by: Graziana | May 30, 2011 at 12:33 AM
I've never found chard leaves cooked your way at all bitter - this sounds like such a good side dish.
Posted by: Foodycat | May 30, 2011 at 01:40 AM
I love simple dishes like this. My husband is not really a fan of chard, but a recipe like this might convince him to change his mind. I might have to try it with rainbow chard. I love all the colors.
Posted by: Kalinda | May 30, 2011 at 07:10 AM
Un piatto semplice e delizioso, perfetto per questa stagione! Un abbraccio Simona!
Posted by: speedy70 | May 30, 2011 at 12:15 PM
Thanks, Ivy.
My pleasure, Graziana.
Ciao Alicia. I have not either, but just in case, I added the note. I really like this as a side dish, especially when the main course is rich.
Ciao Kalinda. I hope your husband changes his mind about chard: not only is it good, it is also quite versatile and can be used in so many ways.
Ciao Simo! Con il caldo un contorno fresco ci sta proprio bene :)
Posted by: Simona Carini | May 30, 2011 at 04:49 PM
Hai visto che è andata bene?!! :)
Posted by: Baol | May 31, 2011 at 02:05 AM
Ciao Baol. Sono contentissima. Che belle le foto di Piazza Duomo piena di gente! Un abbraccio :)
Posted by: Simona Carini | May 31, 2011 at 06:42 AM
bietola is one of the Italian culinary words that fascinates me the most... it's meaning and the terms used to denote Swiss chard are so varied throughout Italy... che buone le erbette emiliane! Have you ever done a recipe for erbazzone?
Posted by: Jeremy Parzen | June 01, 2011 at 08:56 AM
Ciao Jeremy. I have actually never had erbazzone, but my mother used to make pizza con la bieta, which is a double-crust pizza (whose dough contains some strutto) with a filling of bieta cooked and dressed with olive oil (no cheese and no other ingredients). I have done a variation of that, but I need to experiment more before I can talk about it. Have fun in Puglia.
Posted by: Simona Carini | June 02, 2011 at 02:27 PM
Hi Simona - I like the water clinging to the leaves method. I do that with rapini too.
Looking forward to reading more about Shelburne Falls.
LL
Posted by: Lori Lynn | June 02, 2011 at 03:48 PM
Wow! This is so interesting for me! Believe or not, I've never eaten nor heard about chard :D Btw, the photo of Shelburne Falls looks so beautiful! I wish I could visit the place, too :) Can't wait to read more about it in your next post :)
Posted by: Catalina | June 03, 2011 at 05:29 AM
Ciao Lori Lynn. I'll soon share some photos from my visit: stay tuned.
Ciao Catalina. I am glad my post introduced you to a vegetable you are not familiar with. I hope you can find it in some store and try it. I am planning to write about our visit to Shelburne Falls soon.
Posted by: Simona Carini | June 03, 2011 at 03:03 PM
Lovely and simple recipe, Simona. I never thought I would enjoy chard until I recently tried it with lemon, too. I don't find it bitter, either, even without blanching.
That's a wonderful photo of the Bridge of Flowers. It reminds me a little of the High Line in NYC, but not nearly as charming and colorful.
Posted by: Susan | June 06, 2011 at 01:55 AM
Ciao Susan. I am glad you also like the pairing of chard and lemon. The Bridge of Flowers is a small enchanted world: I found it difficult to walk away from it.
Posted by: Simona Carini | June 06, 2011 at 07:24 AM
Hi Simona, I've done your method here with chard twice now and it's simply grand! I'm always going to make chard this way now. Thanks!
Posted by: Lisa | June 26, 2011 at 06:17 PM
Ciao Lisa. I am glad you found this method useful: thank you so much for letting me know :)
Posted by: Simona Carini | June 28, 2011 at 02:43 PM
thanks for your handy help, im in sfo for a while and i was craving some vegies.... so some bietole are great . my mum adds black olives, the bitter ones, cutting away the seed... try it :)
ciao
Giovannino
Posted by: [email protected] | December 15, 2011 at 12:23 PM
Ciao Giovannino. Bitter black olives sound like a really nice addition to chard: thank you so much for the suggestion!
Posted by: Simona Carini | December 15, 2011 at 03:38 PM