one of the most successful and prettiest plants in our allotment is the rainbow chard. It keeps on growing and we seriously cannot keep up with it. We made filled chard leaves with rice and minced lamb meat (maybe Yosef can write down the recipe at some point). we also used it for mulch, which gives the garden a colourful touch and keeps purslane (portulak) out.
Today I had time for two chard recipes: pickled chard stems and mangold pesto. only time can tell how the chard stems will turn out, but the pesto is pretty amazing. so here it goes;
- two hands full of chard leaves without stems
- one clove of garlic
- a dozen fresh basil leaves
- a dozen hazelnuts
- half a cup of olive oil
- grated parmesan
it’s time to go foraging for hazelnuts! in our area, the streets are lined with hazelnut trees. all you got to do is animate your kids to collect them.
thoroughly wash the chard and chop into big pieces. boil for just a minute and cool off with cold water. meanwhile, pour all ingredients into your blender and add the chard. blend until pesto. salt to taste. fill the paste into a clean glass and cover the pesto with a thin layer of olive oil for preservation. refrigerated, it will last for a bit more than a week. I’m looking forward to my next pasta!
will we re-grow chard? yes, but less. it’s beautiful and versatile, but we really don’t need THAT much of it. max two plants will do.