Yasemin's Kitchen: Swiss Chards with Bulgur in Olive Oil

Swiss Chards with Bulgur in Olive Oil

This dish is a sort of "West meets East" version of the traditional Swiss Chard dish from Turkey. Swiss chard in olive oil is usually cooked with rice in it. I changed the rice with bulgur (mostly used in Eastern Turkish cuisine) to enhance the taste and to make it healthier. Hope you like this version.

Ingredients:

¼ cup olive oil
1 onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, sliced
2 bunches of Swiss Chards (about 6 large leaves)
2 table spoons No 2 or No 3 bulgur
pinch of crushed red peppers (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

For the garlicky yogurt sauce:

1 cup yogurt
1-2 cloves garlic, minced

Directions:

Wash Swiss chards. Remove the toughest parts of the stalk, discard. Cut the rest into pieces about ½ “ thick. It will make about 4 cups of cut chards.

Place bulgur in a strainer and wash it, set aside. It will absorb some water and will cook easily.

Heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, and crushed red pepper (optional) and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add Swiss chards, bulgur, and black pepper. Cover the lid and let it simmer over low heat. The idea of cooking it over low heat is to let the chard release its juices so that you won't have to add any water to cook it. It will take about 15 minutes to cook. Add salt and remove from heat. Serve hot or at room temperature with plain yogurt or with garlicky yogurt.