My Rainbow Chard is ready...somewhat

Remember my little rainbow chard seedlings? Upon consulting a gardening book that was recently gifted to me, I found that I have potted them a little too snugly together which will inhibit their growth.  Next time I will make sure that I plant them at least 30 cm apart.

That's ok; good things come in small packages and it means that I can harvest tender little stalks for weeks to come now. Now there is new growth coming through, my imagination is running wild at the possibilities for my little rainbow runts. For my first taste I decided to make something that devoid of meat so that it was all about the chard. Something that even if the most carnivorous of carnivores were to try it, they wouldn't care because they were so satisfied. You know what I mean?

I consulted my trusty copy of The Cooks Companion by Stephanie Alexander to see what she had come up with for Rainbow Chard. After an hour of getting side-tracked (as I am known to do with this book) I found a recipe for sautéed silver beet with olive oil, pine nuts and currents. Then I thought that this would be great on some crusty sour dough, topped with crumbly, sharp goats cheese to cut through the sticky sweetness of the currents.
The result is beautiful and the Bearded Gamer has confirmed that there was no need for meat here, it was all about the Rainbow Chard.

So tell me: What do you think I should make for my next rainbow chard dish?


Rainbow Chard,Pine Nuts, Currents and Goats Cheese Bruschetta 
Adapted from Stephanie Alexander's 'The Cooks Companion'
Makes 6 pieces, with some leftover for the cook


Approx 12 stalks of rainbow chard with the leaves (silver beet works just as well)
1/4 cup of olive oil
1 small red onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped plus an extra clove to rub on the bread
1/2 cup of dried currents
80g pine nuts, toasted
4 slices of good sour dough bread or ciabatta 
Goats cheese, to taste, crumbled.
Chopped parsley

• Separate the chard leaves from the stalks. Chop the stalks into small dices, roll the leaves up into a cylinder and slice so that they are shredded.
• Heat half the olive oil in a heavy based pan and add the onion, cook until soft and slightly browned.
• Add the chard stems and garlic and cook for at least 5 minutes or until the stalks are tender. 
• Add the leaves drizzled with the rest of the oil and place the lid on to steam until the leaves are soft.
• Add the pine nuts and currents and toss to combine.
• Toast the bread under the grill on both sides and rub with a piece of garlic
• Place the chard onto the toasted bread and top with the crumbled goats cheese and chopped parsley, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil if desired.