Dish of Chard Stems with Yogurt Sauce
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Chard Stems with Yogurt Sauce


Turkey   -   Yogurtlu Pazï Sapï
Serves:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 4 salad
**
1 hrs
Most		 In Turkey and Lebanon, stuffed chard leaves are very popular, but that leaves a lot of stems. This salad recipe makes good use of those stems, regardless of what recipe they are left over from.

1
ar
5
1
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1
1/4
1/2
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1
1/2
#

oz
T
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cl
t
c
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t
t
Chard Stems (1)  
Salted Water
Onion
Olive Oil ExtV
-- Dressing
Garlic
Salt
Yogurt (2)
-- Garnish
Mint, dry (3)
Chili Flake (4)
Prep   -   (15 min)
  1. Cut CHARD STEMS into lengths of about 1/2 inch.
  2. Chop ONION fine
  3. Peel GARLIC, crush and chop fine. Pound Garlic and Salt to paste in a mortar (the salt helps break up the garlic).
  4. Whip together Garlic and Yogurt. Keep cold.
Run   -   (15 min + cooling time)
  1. Bring plenty of lightly Salted Water to a boil.
  2. Dump the Chard Stems into the boiling water over high heat. Cover, and when it returns to a boil turn to a simmer and simmer for about 6 minutes more. Sample the stems for tenderness. When tender, but not too soft, quench them in cold water. Drain very thoroughly and set aside.
  3. In a skillet or sauté pan, heat Olive Oil and fry the Onions until they threaten to color. Stir in Chard Stems and fry stirring for about 2 minutes. Pour out on a plate and let cool.
  4. When cool, mix Chard Stems and Onions. Arrange on a serving dish. Ladle Yogurt Sauce over and garnish with Mint and a sprinkle of Chili flake.
  5. Serve lightly chilled or just cool.
NOTES:

  1. Chard:

      Sold in most markets as "Swiss Chard", many recipes use only the leaves. This salad makes good use of the stems, which constitute about 40% of your purchase. The pattern recipe called for red chard stems, but white is what I usually have, so that's what I used. For details see our Chard / Swiss Chard page.

  2. Yogurt:

      Use a tart natural yogurt, not a heavy or bland one - nor a "low fat", "fat free" or "Greek" one.

  3. Mint:

      Unlike most regions, the Turks prefer dried mint over fresh for most uses.

  4. Chili Flake:

      Use the Chili Flake or Powder you prefer. I usually use Korean flake, which is not real hot - Turkish is a moderate chili cuisine.
  5. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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