Vegetable
Chard
AcelgaBledaBeta vulgaris var. cicla
Two vegetables in one: the leaf, which cooks in no time, and the stalk, which needs longer. In Catalan, calling someone a «bleda» (chard) means they're a wet blanket.
When
Around: Sept–Jun · At its best: Oct–Mar
Around: Sept–Jun · At its best: Oct–Mar
Around: Mar–Dec · At its best: Apr–Sept
Around here
It's grown almost all year in Catalan market gardens and every market has it. The everyday dish is bledes amb patates: chard boiled with potato and dressed with oil and garlic. Battered stalks are a classic way of using up every bit.
At the market
- Glossy, upright leaves without big holes or dry edges.
- Stalks white (or coloured, depending on variety), firm, snapping cleanly.
- The cut end shouldn't be brown or dry.
- If you mostly want leaf, look for bunches with thin stalks.
At home
- In the fridge, unwashed, wrapped in a damp cloth or in a bag: 3-5 days.
- Short of space? Separate stalks and leaves; the stalks last a little longer.
- Wash just before cooking.
If you have too much
- Blanch leaves 1-2 minutes and chopped stalks 3 minutes, drain and freeze separately.
- A soup with potato and leek, which freezes well.
- Filling for cannelloni, pasties or a coca.
- Pickle the stalks in vinegar with salt and a little sugar.
In the kitchen
- Bledes amb patates, with raw olive oil and fried garlic on top.
- Battered stalks, or stuffed with ham and cheese and then battered.
- Sautéed with garlic, raisins and pine nuts, like Catalan-style spinach.
- In an omelette, with the leaves chopped.
- Young leaves raw in a salad.
- In a pulse stew.
What it brings
Per 100 g, raw.
- Energy
- 19 kcal
- Water
- 93% water
- Carbs
- 3.7 g
- Sugars
- 1.1 g
- Fibre
- 1.6 g
- Protein
- 1.8 g
Stands out for
- High in vitamin K830 µg · 1107% of what you need in a day
- High in vitamin A306 µg · 38% of what you need in a day
- High in vitamin C30 mg · 38% of what you need in a day
- Source of magnesium81 mg · 22% of what you need in a day
- Source of potassium379 mg · 19% of what you need in a day
- Source of vitamin E1.9 mg · 16% of what you need in a day
Data from the USDA (FoodData Central). See the full table ↗ · How we decide what stands out
Goes with
- SpinachOct–AprYou buy a huge bag, tip it into the pan and end up with a handful. Allow about 250 g raw per person if it's the main event.
- LeekOct–MarAn onion that never forms a bulb and tastes milder. The white part comes from earthing it up as it grows: the higher the soil, the longer the white.
- PumpkinSept–FebIt's harvested in autumn and, whole, keeps for months without a fridge: it was the vegetable that lasted till February. In Spanish, «giving someone pumpkins» means turning them down.