When I was a kid, I didn’t much care for dark, leafy greens. I viewed kale as a bitter garnish on a dinner plate when we went out to a nice restaurant. Swiss chard hadn’t quite entered the culinary scene and spinach…well…it was fine.
As I grew older and heard repeatedly about the health benefits of these greens, I started cooking with them in new and different ways. Know what? They have become a favorite. Even my kids like them. Our chickens love them! We now grow them. I add greens to soups, pilafs, frittatas, make kale chips and so on. Perhaps my favorite way to eat these greens is simply sautéed.
My go-to way of preparing greens is fast and easy and, along with any protein, is enough to make a hearty dinner. I never added cream because the greens taste so good without it. This summer, however, I had a creamed version of Swiss chard that was so incredibly delicious, I decided a little cream might need to enter the scene on occasion.
This spin on that recipe mixes chard and kale and a small amount of half and half. If there is any leftover, it is the perfect base for a speedy omelet or frittata.
Creamed Rainbow Chard and Kale with Prosciutto
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 ounces thick-cut prosciutto, diced or julienned
- 1 small red or yellow onion, chopped
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bunch (about 4 cups) Swiss chard, chopped with stems put in separate pile
- 1 bunch (about 4 cups) kale, tough stems removed and leaves chopped
- 1/3 cup half and half
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Asiago cheese (could substitute Parmesan)
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet or cast iron pan. Add prosciutto and sauté until beginning to cook, 1-2 minutes.
- Add onion and sauté until prosciutto is crisp and onion is golden, stirring several times, about 4 minutes more. Add chard stems and garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds.
- In batches, begin adding the chard and kale leaves, rotating them with a spatula as the leaves on the bottom begin to wilt. Continue to add more leave, carefully tossing so that all the leaves begin to wilt.
- Add half and half, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste, and simmer a few minutes more.
- Remove from heat and sprinkle freshly-grated cheese over the top.
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