Versatile veggie: Swiss chard is similar to spinach but has an earthier flavor

When you hear the word "Swiss" what do you think of? Watches and army knives, perhaps? For me, not surprisingly, it's food.

There are at least three Swiss foods about which I am decidedly not neutral, and you can probably guess what two of them are: Swiss chocolate and Swiss cheese. But during the hot summer months, when it's in its prime, there's another Swiss food toward which I am not impartial: Swiss chard, a leafy green vegetable not unlike spinach but with an earthier flavor.

Actually, Swiss chard is not native to Switzerland, but then neither is chocolate. Like chocolate, it is associated with Switzerland because it is so widely produced there. Though some historians claim it grew in the hanging gardens of Babylon, it most likely originated in Sicily, where the ancient Greeks and Romans prized it for its medicinal qualities. Contemporary scientific research appears to confirm their assessment. The plant is high in antioxidants and may help regulate blood sugar.

Chard is a member of the goosefoot family, so called because that's what its leaves look like, albeit considerably larger than those on your average gander. Essentially the plant is a beet without a bottom. In fact, some sources claim it was discovered by accident when a castoff beet was covered with dirt and its greens just kept on growing. In any case, the plant has clearly been bred for leaf production as opposed to root formation. (Interestingly enough, beets themselves were first cultivated only for their leaves. Appreciation of the beetroot came much later.)

It makes sense to think of chard as two vegetables in one. First there are the thick, often colorful, stems. They need a fair amount of cooking to become tender and are best treated like, say, asparagus.

The leafy greens, on the other hand, can be treated much like spinach. They cook or wilt almost instantly and can even be eaten raw in salads. They can be sauteed, used in soups, stuffed like grape leaves or put in ravioli or lasagna. You can even make pesto out of them.

Granted I might not choose Swiss chard over Swiss cheese, let alone Swiss chocolate, but when it comes to greens it's right up there near the top of my list.

Swiss Chard Lasagna

This recipe is courtesy of Mary Wulfers of Cape Girardeau, who developed it to make use of the steady supply of Swiss chard provided by her husband, who cultivates it not only in summer but in a greenhouse during the winter. She recommends using Prego Original spaghetti sauce combined with another brand, though she avoids Ragu. If you want to add meat to the dish, brown a half pound each of ground beef and ground pork along with the onion and add it in layers with the cheese.

10 to 14 Swiss chard leaves

1 sweet onion, diced

1 tablespoon olive oil

9 lasagna noodles

2 (24-ounce) jars spaghetti sauce

16 ounces ricotta cheese

12 slices Swiss cheese

8 ounces mozzarella cheese

16 ounces cottage cheese

Parmesan cheese

Rinse chard leaves and tear out center stem. (Discard or reserve for another use.) Steam leaves for a few minutes, only until wilted. Drain and chop. Saute onion in oil until soft and add to chard. Cook noodles according to package directions and drain. Combine sauces and spread a small amount on the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch pan. Cover with three lasagna noodles. Sprinkle on one half of the ricotta, mozzarella and cottage cheeses. Cover with one half the Swiss chard. Layer on six slices of Swiss cheese. Layer on three more lasagna noodles. Add half remaining sauce, spreading it over the pan. Sprinkle on remaining ricotta, mozzarella and cottage cheeses. Top with remaining chard and slices of Swiss cheese. Layer on remaining three lasagna noodles and top with remaining sauce. Bake at 350 degrees for about one hour, covered with aluminum foil for the first 45 minutes, if desired. Remove from oven and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Tom Harte's book, "Stirring Words," is available at local bookstores. A Harte Appetite airs Fridays 8:49 a.m. on KRCU, 90.9 FM. Contact Tom at news@semissourian.com or at the Southeast Missourian, P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, MO 63702-0699.