There is something distinctly noble about both the flavour and appearance of Swiss Chard. Like those other great avatars of the vegetable world - asparagus and artichokes - it has a complex bundle of tastes tied up in it, with hints of lemon and spice in the leaves and delicious stalks. Its voluptuous appearance, with the contrast of stark white stalks and deep green leaves, is enchanting.
Some folk hold little regard for the leaves, but for me they are better than spinach. Some grow the chard only for the stalks, but what I like is to use the two together.
It needs to be well washed in a few changes of water, then plunged into boiling salted water for a few minutes, before being drained and then chopped. Blanched, then, it makes for a superb risotto staple, the stalks added half way through cooking the rice, the leaves towards the end. Try it also with potatoes, especially in making a grown-up colcannon, with the subtle chard taking the place of more mundane cabbage. But take a tip from cabbage and bear in mind that, like cabbage, chard loves ginger. So fry a finely chopped onion in some olive oil until golden, then toss in some chopped garlic and lots of grated ginger. Stir-fry for a few seconds, then toss in the blanched, chopped chard.
Cook for a few minutes to mingle the flavours, then add the mixture to some cooked and crushed-up potatoes (which works better than a smooth puree). You can add some butter to the chard colcannon, but a splash of good olive oil and a confetti of finely chopped parley is maybe a better idea. This funky colcannon is wonderful with pork, and perfect with some slices of boiled bacon.