Swiss chard Recipes - AFTouch-Cuisine
Swiss chard: the forgotten vegetable that chefs are rediscovering. Crispy stems, delicate leaves, succulent in cream, gratinéed or in pastry. Our 16 recipes by Patrick Asfaux will seduce you.
Swiss chard, also called chard or silverbeet, is one of those amazing vegetables that our grandmothers grew in the vegetable patch without making a fuss, and that we had the unfortunate idea of forgetting for decades. What an injustice! Because this generous plant offers two delights in one: fleshy, tender stems and delicate leaves with subtle flavours. A single vegetable, two textures, two taste profiles. It's almost too good to be true, and yet it is.
In the kitchen, Swiss chard is a marvel of versatility. The stems, white or coloured depending on the varieties, lend themselves beautifully to cooking in cream, as in our Swiss chard stems in Laguiole cream with walnuts and artisanal bacon, where they reveal all their sweetness. The leaves, meanwhile, become light and almost velvety when cooked in soup or cream. This is precisely why Patrick Asfaux loves them: they retain their personality even when cooked simply, and they enhance delicate dishes without overwhelming them.
The history of Swiss chard in France is one of hidden love. Indispensable in Provence and Auvergne, where they have always graced humble family tables, they long symbolised peasant cooking, authentic and unpretentious. The Pounti auvergnat, that savoury cake filled with Swiss chard, is the perfect example. Dubarry got it right when leaving an enthusiastic review of this recipe: it's a classic that unites generations, that tells the story of an entire region through its simple yet powerful flavours.
With modern cuisine, Swiss chard has made a grand return to the tables of starred restaurants. It seduces with its natural elegance and refinement. See how it pairs with seafood in our Gratinéed Swiss chard with scallops and garlic slivers, or how it embraces the delicacy of white fish in Salt cod purée with Swiss chard greens. It never shouts "look at me", it rather whispers "come along with me".
The flavour of Swiss chard also changes with the season. Young spring shoots are almost sweet, tender and crisp. Summer brings meatier chard, perfect for gratins. In autumn, its leaves concentrate in taste, gain character. It's in autumn that Patrick Asfaux habitually cooks them in Swiss chard leaf cream with grenobloise style, with that singular mix of lemon, parsley and toasted breadcrumbs that creates perfect harmony.
Our 16 recipes invite you to explore all the facets of this fascinating vegetable. Whether you're drawn to the simplicity of an Flat omelette with Swiss chard stems and greens, the generosity of a Swiss chard tart with Cantal cheese and ham, or the adventure of Creamy Swiss chard Auge valley style where Normandy meets the Provençal vegetable, you'll find your joy here. Swiss chard awaits you.
