From Jane Brody’s Good Food Book

It was a cold, blustery March day, and there I was, alone in my kitchen with several bunches of rainbow Swiss chard. I kept staring at the swiss chard, hoping for some inspiration on what to do with it for that night’s dinner. Oil, garlic, tomatoes? That’s my usual. I learned that from my mother. When in doubt on how to cook any vegetable, saute some oil, garlic and tomatoes. You can’t miss with that, but I needed a change tonight. I needed some help from an old friend, so I searched my bookshelves and reached for Jane Brody’s Good Food Book. Nostalgia swept over me. On this cold wintry day, I felt comfort just holding this book and remembering how I once considered this the nutritional authority on how to feed my family. Jane Brody was a pioneer in nutrition, and it always gave me great pleasure to serve food from this book.

However, as I looked more closely at the cover, I was amazed to see that the sub-title to this book is “Living the High-Carbohydrate Way.” Boy have times changed! I’m not certain this would be a NYTimes bestseller right now when most diet gurus and nutritionists are touting low or no carbohydrate as the healthiest way to live. Perhaps even Jane has changed her thoughts on this. But I’m not here to debate this point. I’m here to share her delicious and healthy recipe for “sauteed Swiss chard.”

I thank Jane Brody for all the years she spent giving us advice on health, nutrition and wellness. She certainly made a difference in my life.

RECIPE: 3 to 4 servings

2 teaspoons oil ( I of course used olive oil)

1 to 2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/2 cup sliced leeks (white part) or one very small onion, thinly sliced

2/3 cups sliced celery

1 Tablespoon broth or water

4 cups coarsely chopped Swiss Chard ( I used rainbow Swiss chard because it looks so pretty)

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Salt to taste.

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet (preferably nonstick), and add the garlic, leeks or onion and celery. Saute the vegetables, stirring them, for about 3 minutes.
2. Add the broth or water and the Swiss chard. Season the mixture with pepper and salt, stirring the ingredients to combine well. Cover the pan, and simmer the mixture, stirring it occasionally, over low heat for about 5 minutes or until the chard is wilted and tender.