Chard Baked with Parmesan Cheese

This is one of my favorite ways to prepare Swiss chard, from a much-loved and often-used cookbook, The Greens Book. As the authors claim, "this dish has an excellent record of converting greens-haters into greens-lovers at our table." Ours too!

Adapted from The Greens Book by Susan Belsinger & Carolyn Dille.

Serves 6
Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 10 min
Total Time: 30 min

Ingredients

3 pounds Swiss chard (any color will do, though the authors prefer white-stemmed chard)*
4 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (Pre-grated cheese from the store will do if you're in a hurry, but don't use the powdery kind in the green can!)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
*Note to the woman asking what to do with beet greens at the Mighty Acorn food booth at the Columbia Farmers' Market today—this recipe would also work with beet greens!

Instructions

First put a pot of lightly salted water on to boil, as if you were going to cook pasta. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Wash the chard carefully. I usually immerse my greens in cool water in the sink and rinse them again as I transfer them to a colander or salad spinner, just to be sure there's no grit trapped in the leaves. (Some people recommend adding up to a half-cup of white vinegar to a sink half-filled with water and letting the greens soak for 5 to 10 minutes, but I only do that if I've just picked them from my own garden and suspect some bugs might be lurking, or if the greens have dirt clinging to the leaves. You won't generally find either to be the case with greens purchased at a farmers' market, which will be pre-washed.)
Cut off the stems, trimming off and discarding the ends, and cut them into 1/2 to 1-inch lengths, keeping them in a separate pile. Pile up the leaves and cut them roughly vertically and horizontally into about 2-inch pieces.
Once the water has come to a boil add the stem pieces first, blanching them for about 3 minutes. Add the leaves and blanch for 1 to 2 minutes longer. Remove the pan from the heat and drain the chard well, then transfer it to a lightly greased casserole dish. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Melt the butter in a sauté pan and cook over medium heat until the butter has browned a bit. Pour the browned butter over the chard and mix well, then add half of the parmesan cheese and mix again. Then sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top of the chard.
Bake uncovered at 450 degrees for 10 minutes or so, or until the cheese is bubbling and just golden brown. Serve hot.

Notes

This is one of those dishes I make a few times every year; it's savory and satisfying, and worth the few extra calories from the butter and cheese every now and then.
If you're interested in learning more about cooking with greens I'd highly recommend the book this recipe came from, The Greens Book by Susan Belsinger & Carolyn Dille. Used copies are available on Amazon right now for under $4! http://www.amazon.com/The-Greens-Book-Susan-Belsinger/dp/1883010055

Would you try this cheesy, green dish? If you do, please let us know what you think in the comments below!