This recipe is a recipe from last November. It comes from the backlog created when my computer took a little extended vacation. When I looked at the recipe I had trouble remembering it, but when I looked at the photo I remembered it well. We'd planted some chard in the garden more or less on a whim. It didn't do anything and most of it got uprooted to make room for the tomatoes, which did a lot. Some of it did last, though, and long after the tomatoes were gone the chard woke up and decided, "Oh, right, let's do something." It survived a killing frost and the remnants of Superstorm Sandy. My husband was out in the garden for some other reason and came across it. He brought it inside while I was rushing to get through the cooking for that Sunday's dinner and said, "Can you use this?" (This is another recipe from the same bundle of things be brought in from the garden that day.)
I could use it, and I did use it. The great thing about chard is that you're getting two vegetables for the price of one. (Well, you would be if you were paying for it. In this case the chard was for free.) I used the chard leaves in another recipe. The stalks can be used separately as vegetables in their own right and have been documentably since the tenth century. Look it up. Seriously. You can do anything with them that you would do with asparagus, but you're not limited to asparagus recipes. In this recipe I had some carrots left over from something else - I've forgotten what - that I needed to remove from the refrigerator. The jalapenos were also from our garden. Garlic went in on general principles and the ginger salt was in there for flavor. Ginger and carrots match very well together. That was it. I made this the day before I served it and reheated it with no noticeable problems. People liked it, and it cost no more than thirteen cents per serving.
Chard Stalks with Carrots (serves 10; approx. $0.13/serving)
Stalks from 3 bunches of chard, chopped (reserve leaves for another use)
6 jalapenos, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
3/4 teaspoon Ginger Salt
4 carrots, sliced on the diagonal
4 tablespoons olive oil
Equipment:
- Wok or saute pan
- Heat the oil in the wok.
- Add the garlic, ginger salt and jalapenos. Stir-fry until fragrant.
- Add the carrots. The thinner you've sliced them the faster they'll cook and the easier your life will be. Stir-fry until about half-cooked.
- Add the chard stalks. Stir-fry until tender.
- Serve.
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