Chard and Cheddar Omelet

• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 cups chopped swiss chard
• pinch anise seed
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper

I put the cast iron pan on medium heat. Tossed in a pinch of anise seed and let it heat up so the oils release.

I cracked 3 eggs and beat with a fork until completely blended. I added 2 TBSP of cold water and beat to smooth.

I then added 1 tbsp of butter and tossed in the cleaned, and chopped chard, sautéing quickly. It is done in two minutes of so. I removed from heat and set aside, scraping the pan to remove all the chard.

I added 1 tbsp of butter and tilted the pan to make sure every inch is covered with butter. I poured the beaten eggs and tilted again to spread evenly. Then I lift the pan up and drop it, bang-bang, to get the bubbles out. It seems to make it really set, somehow. Turn the heat down to medium-low.

While it cooked a bit, I grated 1/4 inch slice of sharp cheddar cheese, about 1/4 cup. I sprinkled it over the eggs. Added some salt and pepper, then spread the cooked chard over this.

When spreading the cheese and chard, make sure to leave about 1/2 and inch clear from the edges so when you fold it over, it will “seal’ and not gape open with chard leaking out.  As soon as the egg is set, slide out on a plate, folding it over as you place it on the plate.

While there is not very much cheddar, it adds just the right amount of creaminess to offset the slightly sharp flavor of the chard. The aromatic anise is exquisite with eggs.

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Swiss Chard with Anise

My best friend was at the grocery story and found top sirloin tip steak on sale so this gorgeous piece was just $5.00 so she bought one for me and dropped it off with some fresh chard. Since introducing her to how well anise seasons vegetables, she is always experimenting with new ones. She had made chard seasoned with anise the night before and wanted me to be sure to try it, so of course I did and of course it was delicious.

• 2 cups of clean, chopped chard
• 2 tsp olive oil
• pince of anise seed
• salt and pepper

Clean the chard, stripping the leaves from the stem. You can save the stems and pickle them if you like. I think you can pickle most fibrous stems, cauliflower, broccoli, chard, etc. Vinegar is cheap so it costs pennies to try. Chop the chard by rolling it and slicing the rolled chard. This allows you to make even slices. Then you can cut the opposite direction for smaller pieces.

So the next thing you do is heat a cast iron pan. Add a pinch of anise seed to the dry pan so the heat releases the oils. Then add a half tablespoon of olive oil, just enough to coat the pan. Add the chard and sautée. Chard is tender and cooks quickly so this takes at most two minutes. Remove from the heat and serve.

The steak is not part of the recipe, but because it is in the picture, here are directions.

The steak I cooked the way you always cook a steak, let it come to room temperature, pat it dry, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat the cast iron pan to med. high with olive oil. Add the steak, cook about 5 minutes, flip and add butter to the pan, and cook on the other side about 5 minutes, using a spoon to keep putting the butter back on top of the steak. Let rest for 10 minutes and it’s perfectly medium rare. I have no idea how you cook it wrong (well, medium, well, etc.)

There is no reason not to cook the steak, remove it to rest, and then to cook the chard in the same pan, addind the little bit of steak juices to your chard sauté. It’s not like it hurts.