Crispy Swiss Chard Cakes

It's Friday!!!!
So my garden is growing and I am finally getting stuff out of it. This year I planted Swiss chard not really knowing what to do with it but wanted to give it a try. This week it was ready to pick and I still didn't know what to do with it but a girl from high school gave me a great idea. They are called crispy swiss chard cakes. She said they are her favorite things to make and eat in the world!!! I thought in the whole world, well I have to give these a try. How bad could they be? So I made them yesterday and they were awesome. The recipe seems a little overwhelming but once you go through it once it really isn't a big deal. If you have chard I encourage you to try them but watch the salt. Maybe only do a 1/2 tsp because they were a little salty for me. Next time I'm not going to add the salt until I eat them. They are much like potato pancakes and have a great crisy flavor. Other then this recipe I'm not sure what to do with this stuff. Any suggestions?


Crispy Swiss Chard Cakes

2 pounds Swiss chard
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced (1-1/2 cups)
1-½ teaspoons salt to taste(I suggest waiting until you eat them to add salt)
3 tablespoons butter, in pieces
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
1 egg, beaten lightly
2 cups shredded Italian Cheese

Cut off the stem at the base of the chard leaves and cut the central rib out of the leaf if thick and tough (save the stems and ribs for vegetable stock). Rinse the leaves and drain in a colander
Bring 5 or 6 quarts of water to the boil in a large pot, drop in the chard leaves and stir to submerge them. Return to the boil and cook for 5 minutes. Drain into a colander and let cool. Chop the cooked chard into small shreds and drain once again in the colander. Press and squeeze the chard to remove as much liquid as you can.

Pour the olive oil into the skillet and set over medium heat. Stir in the sliced onions and ½ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions wilt and barely color, about 5 minutes. Scatter the chopped chard into the skillet and drop in the butter pieces. Stir the chard with the onions and the melting butter; season with another ½ teaspoon of salt. Cook over medium heat for 7 or 8 minutes, stirring and tossing frequently, until the chard is fairly dry-don’t let it get brown or crispy.

Remove the chard to a big bowl, toss with the freshly ground pepper and more salt to taste. Spread it out in the bowl to cool. Let the skillet cool, too, then wipe it clean and dry-you’ll be using it again. Put the shredded cheese in a plate or shallow bowl and toss so the shreds are loose and separate.

When the chopped chard is lukewarm or cooler, pour the beaten egg over it and mix in thoroughly with your fingers. Divide into 6 roughly equal parts and form them into patties-just like hamburgers-3 to 4 inches across. Press each cake of chard firmly so it holds together.

Set the dry skillet over medium-low heat. Hold a chard cake in one hand and cover the top with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the shredded cheese. Press the shreds so they adhere then turn and cover the bottom of the patty with a layer of cheese. Lay the cake in the hot skillet (it should start to sizzle in a few seconds) and quickly coat 2 more patties with cheese and set them in the skillet, several inches apart. If there’s room, start cooking another.

Fry on the first side for 3 minutes or longer, until the cheese forms a crisp golden- brown crust. Shake the pan to loosen the cakes, slide a spatula underneath and flip them over. Cook and crisp the second side, another 3 minutes or so. Lift out each patty with the spatula, blot up the oil released by the cheese with a folded paper towel, and set on a warm plate (placed in a low oven if you like).

Serve the cakes warm and crispy, either whole as a main or cut into bite-size wedges.
Enjoy!
I know they are not very pretty BUT they are good.
Linked to Foodie Friday