Who says you can get your greens and enjoy homemade pizza at the same time?Because I'm a patient and understanding girl, I'm going to give you and Swiss chard another chance to get together. I realize romances can take time, and that it isn't always love at first bite.
So maybe you weren't wowed by the thought of
Hot Swiss Chard Artichoke Dip or Swiss Chard and Artichoke Soup. And perhaps you're simply not the Healthy Swiss Chard Tuna Salad with Kalamata Olives type—even if the crunchy chard stalks stand in beautifully for celery. My Swiss Chard Cabbage Salad with Garbanzo Beans and Cottage Cheese didn't do it for you either? That's okay.I still have faith in you. Because this, this is pizza. And everybody loves pizza.
I won't go on and on about how wonderful Swiss chard is because I've already done that. But since it's time to start thinking about an early spring garden, I will quickly remind you once again how
easy Swiss chard is to grow from seed—and remind you that it happily thrives in containers (hint hint, apartment dwellers).
It's also cold tolerant, heat tolerant, and really hard to kill. Did I mention it happens to be really good for you?
Unlucky in love? Your vegetable soul mate just might be waiting for you at the farmers' market. So go on, give Swiss chard a try.
White pizza goes greenSusan's Swiss Chard Artichoke 'White' Pizza
Makes enough topping to thickly cover one 12" to 14" pizza
On the last day of autumn, I
picked several pounds of Swiss chard in my homemade greenhouse and packed it into plastic bags that I placed with ice packs in a cooler in the pantry (because there wasn't enough room in the fridge). After three weeks, what was left still looked fine. Freshly picked greens will last quite a while if kept cool and moist.This pizza topping is basically the first half of my
Hot Swiss Chard Artichoke Dip recipe. Don't have a can of artichokes handy? I think it would still be quite tasty without them. Mixing in some olives (black or kalamata) or a few chopped dried tomatoes instead would probably be very nice.You could also make this recipe using a mix of other greens, such as mustard and collard, or even kale. I'm sure spinach would work well. Since the finished pizza froze and reheated beautifully, I'm also thinking you could make up the topping ahead of time and freeze it.
A
baking/pizza stone is a great investment that allows you to make amazingly crisp pizza crusts and crusty artisan breads. I've been using the same one for 14 years. A pizza peel is a really useful thing to have. I own two—a large wood one and smaller metal one with a long handle—and use them all the time.Pizza dough (use your favorite or try
my simple recipe)
6 to 8 ounces mozzarella, thinly sliced or shredded3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion (about 5 ounces)
4 to 6 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch Swiss chard (about 12 ounces or 4 cups packed of leaves), leaves and stalks separated and both chopped into small pieces
1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts (packed in water), drained and rinsed, chopped into small pieces
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
About an hour before you're ready to bake your pizza, place a baking stone (if using) on the lowest rack in the oven and heat to 500 degrees.
Heat olive oil in a 4-quart or larger pot. Add onion and chopped Swiss chard stalks and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, 2 minutes; do not let garlic brown.
Stir Swiss chard leaves and chopped artichoke hearts into onion mixture. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, about 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce. Remove pan from heat and let chard mixture cool slightly, and then stir in Pecorino Romano. Alternatively, let the mixture cool completely, mix in cheese, and then refrigerate up to 2 days.
Shape the pizza dough on a piece of
unbleached parchment paper, and set it on a pizza peel (or directly on your baking sheet/pizza pan if you aren't using a baking stone). Spread the chard mixture evenly over the dough. Top with mozzarella.Slide the pizza (parchment and all) onto the baking stone and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the cheese is starting to brown. Slice and serve, and try not to burn your tongue on the first bite!
Want another slice?
My Favorite Easy Pizza Dough Recipe
Arugula Pesto Pizza
Three Onion and Three Cheese Pizza
Fresh Tomato and My Favorite Basil Pesto Pizza
Homemade Pita Bread PizzasStill hungry? You'll find links to all my sweet and savory Less Fuss, More Flavor recipes in the Farmgirl Fare Recipe Index.
© FarmgirlFare.com, the foodie farm blog where pizza delivery at the end of a long day is not an option when you live 34 miles from the nearest pizza parlor, which is why we always try to keep several different kinds of homemade pizza in the freezer.
FAQs
Cooking bitter greens like chard and kale long and slow in animal fats, as in stews or soups, tends to get rid of the bitterness. The simple best way to get rid of the tanic acid in cooking chard greens only is the cut up the greens and bring them to a Rolling Boil and boil them for 3 min.
Do you eat the stems of Swiss chard? ›
Chard stems take a little longer to cook than the leaves, but the whole plant is edible and delicious. It's a little bit sweet in the stems (which have a slight celery-like flavor) and pleasantly bitter in the leaves. Some people prefer to remove the stems from the leaves and cook them separately.
What is the healthiest way to eat Swiss chard? ›
Boil Swiss chard for a healthier side dish.
Add the chopped stems from 3-4 leaves, and cook for 2-4 minutes until they're mostly tender. Place the leaves in the pot, and cover for 1-2 minutes. The leaves should be wilted. If they're not, cook them another 1-2 minutes.
Is artichoke on pizza good? ›
It's crispy outside, soft in the middle, flavorful and amazingly delicious! The recipe uses my no-knead pizza dough, convenient canned artichoke hearts and an easy 5-minute homemade marinade. I love all things artichokes and I made this pizza for 3 times in a row last week, we were totally hooked, seriously.
When should you not eat Swiss chard? ›
Blood clotting: If you are on blood thinners, you may want to avoid Swiss chard due to its high vitamin K content, which plays a role in blood clotting. Allergy: If you are sensitive to grass pollen, you should avoid eating Swiss chard because inhaling vapor from boiling the vegetable may trigger rhinoconjunctivitis.
Is it OK to eat Swiss chard raw? ›
Swiss chard can be enjoyed raw in salads or on sandwiches or wraps, braised, boiled, sautéed or added to soups and casseroles. Here are some tips to incorporate more Swiss chard (leaves and stems) into the daily routine: Add a handful of fresh Swiss chard leaves to an omelet or scrambled eggs.
Will Swiss chard grow back after cutting? ›
The leaves are large and dark green and are eaten together with the stem. The other chard cultivar, the leafy spinach beet, belongs to the Cicla group, of which only the leaves are eaten. After harvesting, it grows back and can be cut again.
Is Swiss chard a super food? ›
All that being said, why should you grow chard? Well as it turns out, chard is a superfood and one of the healthiest veggies on planet earth. 100 grams of chard will give you 3 times the amount of vitamin K you need per day.
What are the cons of Swiss chard? ›
- Swiss chard contains oxalates that may increase urinary oxalate excretion and predispose some individuals to calcium oxalate stones.
- As a result, anyone with kidney stones should avoid Swiss chard because oxalates may increase symptoms in certain people.
chard is also has an abundance of antioxidants as well as phytonutrient antioxidants. Why are these phytonutrient antioxidants so special? These antioxidants have been shown to have great anti-inflammatory properties. These phytonutrients can be found in the plant's leaves, and colorful stems.
Broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts and cabbage are among the most challenging to digest due to their complex fibers, which tend to ferment in the gut, causing gas and bloating. Alternative nutrient-rich foods that are easier on the gut include dark leafy greens like kale, spinach and Swiss chard.
What is a pizza with artichokes called? ›
Traditionally Capricciosa pizza is the one with black olives, artichokes, cooked ham, mushrooms added as topping to the base of a classic Margherita.
What not to eat on an artichoke? ›
When preparing an artichoke, discard the center "choke" (except in baby artichokes), but the base of the petals, the center of the stem and the entire artichoke heart are completely edible and easy to cook. That's when all the fun begins!
How to cut artichokes for pizza? ›
Trim stems and remove tough outer layer with a vegetable peeler. Halve artichokes lengthwise and remove choke with a spoon. Dip in lemon water to prevent artichokes from browning. Thinly slice and place in a small bowl.
Why is my Swiss chard so bitter? ›
Chard will usually bolt in any extreme temperature conditions like freezing and in extremely dry hot weather.” Doyle noted that the plant might continue to produce the typical chard leaves, and that the smoother leaves are still flavorful but more bitter than others.
How do you reduce bitter taste in cooking? ›
Sweetness: From sugar, honey, fruits or otherwise, sweetness will counteract bitter and sour flavours. It can also be used to cut down the heat of a particularly spicy meal. Saltiness: Salt plays two very important roles in flavouring a dish. Firstly, it balances against bitterness.
How do you cook greens so they are not bitter? ›
Blanch the greens first.
The next time, when I made the same dish and blanched the broccoli rabe in salted water first, it was delicious. Blanching helps to leach out some of the bitterness and works best with hardier greens.
Who says you can get your greens and enjoy homemade pizza at the same time?
White pizza goes green