Local Food and Local Knowledge with Liza Gyllenhaal: Cherry Tomatoes and Rainbow Chard

From Guest Blogger Liza Bennett Gyllenhaal, who also took these photos:

At the end of most summers in the Berkshires, my cherry tomato vines hang so thick and heavy with ripe, red cargo that their metal supports sway under the weight. Not so this unusually damp, cool season. By early September, already getting word of frost warnings a few counties north of us, I finally gave up hoping for a miracle (or at least a decent stretch of 90-degree heat and some uninterrupted sun) and harvested the sorry crop of mostly marble-sized tomatoes. With a tomato blight wiping out so many of the professionally grown plants in the area, however, I prized even this meager yield and vowed to make the most of it.

As so often happens in nature, the dark clouds and rain that stunted one corner of the garden turned out to provide a silver lining, or — as in the case of my chard— a vibrant spectrum of color in another. This is only the second year I’ve grown rainbow chard, but I’m already deeply enamored of this sturdy, reliable, workhorse of a leafy green vegetable that also happens to be both beautiful and versatile. My seedlings thrived through our gloomy July. Stood firm during the hurricane downpours of August. And now, in early September, form rows of deep green and magenta plume-shaped leaves that look something like a chorus line of fan-fan dancers, swaying above their red, orange, pink, and gold-tinted stalks.

Rainbow chard is like spinach, only more sophisticated and showy.

When young and tender and julienned into bright strips of color, it can add a delicately nutty taste to salads. The more mature leaves are delicious sauteed in olive oil and garlic and served on their own, tossed in a bowl of pasta, folded into frittatas or savory tarts, or chopped up for rich soups such as minestrone. Simply put, chard can do anything that spinach does — but with a bit more color and panache. And rainbow chard— unlike the white or ruby variety — comes with a special bonus: the lovely, multi-colored fully grown stems or stalks can be used to great effect after their leafy tops have been stripped. Steamed like asparagus, sauteed, or grilled, they make a brilliant and unexpected splash in any number of dishes.

One of my favorite recipes of this past summer — served alongside marinated pork tenderloin — was Grilled Rainbow Chard with Fava Beans and Oregano — a rich medley of unusual tastes and textures. In the end, I turned half my cherished hoard of cherry tomatoes into easy-to-make and even easier-to-eat appetizers: halved, stuffed with a mixture of marinated feta and kalamata olives: salty, crunchy, sweet, and simply delicious! Click here for the recipe.

Finally, I was able to combine the rest of the cherry tomatoes and rainbow chard with chicken breasts, though I simplified the recipe linked here by stuffing the boneless breasts with just the fontina and sauteing them on top of sage leaves (rather than the basil). The real glory of the dish is the sweet, tangy sauce made from the tomatoes (I used my cherries), balsamic vinegar and stock (though I’ve also used a couple of tablespoons of butter instead of the stock for a denser sauce). I served the chicken with rainbow chard sauteed in olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt, garlic salt, and ground pepper. A satisfying meal with a complex blend of flavors — and all on the table within half an hour.

Liza Bennett Gyllenhaal is a novelist who divides her time between the Berkshires and New York City. Read about her new novel Local Knowledge at www.lizagyllenhaal.com