Salads
Grilled Swiss chard stems with anchovy vinaigrette
Grilled Swiss chard stems with anchovy vinaigrette — the white ribs blanched, charred on the grill and dressed with anchovy, garlic and olive oil. A Niçoise side.
Published · Updated
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Method
If using salt-packed anchovies, rinse them under cold water, pull out the spines and soak the fillets in cold water or milk for 15–20 minutes. Taste one; soak a little longer if still very salty, then pat dry. Oil-packed fillets only need draining.
Pound the anchovies and garlic to a paste in a mortar, or blend them briefly. Work in the olive oil, chile flakes and vinegar; the vinaigrette should stay slightly chunky.
Cut the green leaves away from the chard stems and set them aside for another dish. Trim the base of the stems, pull off any stringy fibres from the larger ones and cut them into 12–15 cm (5–6 inch) lengths.
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and blanch the stems in batches for 2–3 minutes, until just tender but still firm. Transfer them to a bowl of iced water, then drain and pat dry.
Heat a grill, barbecue or ridged grill pan until very hot. Toss the stems with the olive oil, salt and pepper.
Grill the stems in a single layer for 3–4 minutes per side, until well marked and charred in places but not burnt.
Arrange on a dish, spoon over about 4 tablespoons of the anchovy vinaigrette and add a splash of sherry vinegar. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Tips
- Do not throw away the green leaves. Use them in a tourta de blea (Swiss chard pie), in an omelette or simply sautéed in olive oil with garlic.
- The vinaigrette makes more than you need. Keep the rest covered in the refrigerator and use it within 3–4 days, on grilled peppers, boiled eggs or toast.
- Blanching first means the stems are cooked through by the time they have taken colour on the grill.
The vegetable of Nice
Few places eat as much Swiss chard as Nice. Blea in the Niçois language, it grows in every vegetable garden of the Comté and turns up in soups, omelettes, stuffings, ravioli and, most famously, in the sweet and savoury tourta de blea. The attachment is strong enough that the Niçois are sometimes teasingly nicknamed caga-blea, “chard-eaters” in polite translation.
Most recipes use only the green leaves, and the wide white stems (côtes or cardes in French) are too often thrown away. This dish shows what they can do. Blanched, then charred on the grill, they become tender and slightly smoky, with a gentle bitterness that stands up well to a sharp, salty dressing.
An anchovy dressing
The vinaigrette is close to anchoïade, the Provençal sauce of anchovies pounded with garlic and olive oil. Anchovies have long been part of cooking along this coast, salted in barrels and used as a seasoning as much as a fish; they are the backbone of pissaladiera and appear in many versions of salade niçoise. Here a pinch of chile flakes and a little vinegar lift the dressing without hiding the anchovy.
Choosing the ingredients
- Chard: look for bunches with broad, firm, glossy white stems and no brown marks. Very thin stems cook too fast and fall apart on the grill.
- Anchovies: salt-packed anchovies, sold whole in jars or by weight, have the best flavour. Rinse and fillet them, then soak them briefly to take off some of the salt; taste as you go, because over-soaked anchovies lose their character. Good fillets in olive oil are a perfectly good shortcut.
- Olive oil: use a fruity extra-virgin oil; it carries the whole dressing.
Variations
Instead of grilling, you can lay the blanched stems in a gratin dish, spoon over the vinaigrette and bake them for 15 minutes. A few capers, some chopped parsley or a scattering of toasted breadcrumbs also work well. Without the anchovies, a simple dressing of olive oil, lemon and garlic turns this into a vegetarian side.
Serving
Serve the stems as a starter or a warm salad, with bread for the dressing, or as a side for grilled fish or lamb. They sit naturally next to a salad of grilled peppers, which shares the same smoky, olive-oil flavours.
Questions & answers
Can I use rainbow chard?
Yes, but the coloured stems are usually thinner and more fibrous. Blanch them for a shorter time and grill them just long enough to mark them.
Salt-packed or oil-packed anchovies?
Salt-packed anchovies have more flavour and a firmer texture, but need rinsing and soaking. Good oil-packed fillets work well and save time.
I have no grill. What can I use?
A ridged cast-iron grill pan gives the best result indoors. You can also roast the blanched stems on a baking sheet under a very hot oven broiler, turning them once.
