So my Sicilian half came out a little with this Swiss chard. I love incorporating sweet and sour components into savory dishes. Here I combined the greens with onions, golden raisins and toasted pine nuts, and added a splash of champagne vinegar at the end to brighten up the flavor. My grandma from Sicily added vinegar to many of her vegetable dishes, as well.
If you don’t have golden raisins on hand, currants or standard raisins would be great substitutes, which are also commonly used in Sicilian dishes. Actually I’ll be honest. My original plan was to use currants, but I can’t always get what I’m looking for in my local grocery store. I actually also wanted Swiss chard with red stems. But hey, I made it work. It’s important to always be able to improvise. I can’t complain either. I’m really liking the combination of green and golden colors.
I like to use red pepper flakes here too, because the hint of spice is especially nice against the sweet onions and raisins. Another trick to making this vegetable dish extra flavorful is using some of the water the raisins plump up in to help wilt the greens. Taste a sip of it. That slight sweetness permeates the whole dish. Yum.
Swiss Chard with Raisins and Pine Nuts
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
So my Sicilian half came out a little with this Swiss chard. I love incorporating sweet and sour components into savory dishes. Here I combined the greens with onions, golden raisins and toasted pine nuts, and added a splash of champagne vinegar at the end to brighten up the flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 bunch Swiss chard (any variety), stems and leaves separated
- ½ medium onion, diced
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1–2 pinches red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup golden raisins, raisins or currants
- ¼ cup toasted pine nuts
- 1 tbsp champagne, white balsamic vinegar, or red wine vinegar (if using red chard)
- Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper
Instructions
- Prep chard: Cut stems into ¾ inch pieces. Cut leaves into 1 inch strips.
- Saute onions & stems: Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add onion and chard stems to pan, season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Sauté 4-6 minutes or until softened and onions are translucent.
- Plump raisins: While onion and chard cook, heat a small cup of water in the microwave to almost boiling. Add raisins and allow to plump and soften slightly for about 5-8 minutes. Drain, reserving water.
- Saute leaves & serve: Add leaves to pan, season with salt and pepper, and sauté 4-6 minutes or until tender. Add a few tablespoons of raisin water to help steam the greens. During the last minute of cooking, stir in raisins, pine nuts and vinegar and taste for seasoning. Enjoy.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Side
- Method: Saute
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ¼ of chard
- Calories: 210
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 255mg
- Fat: 16g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Carbohydrates: 17g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 4g
This sounds so delicious!
I love adding raisins to savoury dishes as well – adds that perfect pocket of sweetness doesn’t it! 🙂
hope you’re having a great week xx
Thanks, I agree! Hope you’re enjoying your week, too 🙂
Love the addition of the pine nuts and raisins, yum????
Thanks!
Love the addition of the pine nuts! Looks yummy Sabrina! 🙂
Thanks, Linda!
Love this one 🙂 Looks like it will be great at dinner parties.
Thanks so much, Jin!
Yum looks amazing and healthy!
Thank you!