I have read many recipes for Swiss Chard or Silverbeet gratin, where the prominent ingredient is the stalk, rather than the rich green leaves. I recently stumbled upon this recipe that I thought I would try, because it includes some of the leaves as well. I was so thrilled with the end result, I cooked it again a couple of days later.
This gratin really is very easy to make, and the end result is a delicious cheesy gratin with the stalks providing texture, the leaves, colour, and both contributing to the wonderful flavour.
Chard, Onion and Cheese Gratin
The stalks of Swiss Chard make a gratin that is delicious and delicate in flavour, and pairs beautifully with a roast. Equally it can be served as a light meal with a fresh green salad on the side.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 medium onion, finely sliced
- Stalks from a large bunch of chard, washed, trimmed and thinly sliced.
- 4 chard leaves, thinly shredded
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 150 ml full-cream milk
- 1 tbsp double cream
- 30 g freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Sea Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
For the topping
- 3 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp fresh breadcrumbs
Directions
- Preheat oven to 180˚C
- Heat a saucepan over medium heat and add the oil and half the butter.
- Add the onion and chard stalks, place the lid on and cook over low heat for 5-10 minutes, until the onion softens.
- Stir in the flour, and cook for a 1 minute over medium heat. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the milk. Bring to the boil, and then reduce heat to a simmer until the sauce has thickened. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Stir in the chard leaves and cook for another minute or two until the leaves have wilted a little.
- Then stir in the Parmesan and the cream, then pour into a greased gratin dish.
- Mix the topping ingredients together and scatter over the top of the gratin. Dot with the remaining butter.
- Bake 20-25 minutes until bubbling and golden on top.
Notes:
- This gratin can also be popped under the grill ’til golden and crispy, if short on time or oven space.
- For a gluten free version, simply replace the flour with the same amount of gluten free flour blend.
- Adapted from Easy Vegetarian One Pot, 2011, R Woods (ed), p159
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