beautiful sturdy pazı or chard leaves, washed and trimmed |
Yesterday my uncle got out the dictionary to check what exactly chard was! Seems it may not be an Aussie staple after all but it certainly is for us who live in Turkey and a mighty seasonal one at that.
I am on my aunt’s computer here in Sydney so no Turkish characters: chard is pazi but no dot on the i but I can’t write that. I also can’t access my photos from where I am so it’s all a bit convoluted. By the way, a bunch of chard is actually half a kilo or a pound – I had a query as to exactly how much a bunch was so I weighed my bunch last time.
I love the colour combination of this dish and I think the large red peppers work better than the local ones because they are thicker and have that delicious sweet taste. Originally hailing from Antakya – Antioch for us – this dish couldn’t be easier or quicker to make. It makes a good accompaniment for meat or on its own with yogurt. I saw the recipe in Jale Balci’s book about Antakyan cuisine but I have adapted it slightly- only in terms of the explanation not the ingredients or method.
Ingredients
Serves 4
I bunch chard/pazi (500g or 1 lb)
1 onion, chopped into half-moon shapes
1 tsp red pepper flakes/pul biber
1 red pepper/kirmizi biber, diced
Salt
4 tbsp olive oil
Method
· Wash the chard and reserve the stems. Dice these into small pieces and reserve.
they look like celery, don’t they? |
· Heat the olive oil in a pan and gently fry the onions. Add the chard stems and diced red pepper and cook for 5-7 mins. Season with salt.
· Add the chard leaves and red pepper flakes and continue cooking till the tougher chard stems have cooked.
sprinkle with the red pepper flakes |
· Serve immediately with yogurt if using.
Afiyet olsun!
I buy my pazı from a little guy who displays his wares on the pavement near my house |
Chard is a summer favourite with its rainbow colours.
Yum! I can imagine this being served as a lovely sidedish with grilled antrikot too! =)
Delicious! My first time cooking with chard/pazi. The red pepper flakes were a great touch.