Farmers Market Delight; Swiss Chard

I love living in Michigan for a couple of reasons.  I love the full scope of having four seasons.  The color changes in the fall, the sparkles of fresh white snow, the excitement of spring finally coming after the wonder of winter wears out its welcome, and then there's summer. We treated the family to an amazing spring break vacation to Jamaica this year. Our son wanted the family to relocate and make this our permanent residence, but our daughter had a pretty good argument against it. She argued, "but where would you go on vacations if you lived here?"  I love her logic. I think that Michiganders can appreciate the summer more. It's short here and the second reason I love living here is the long summer nights. When friends visit they always marvel, "Wait.  It can't be 10:00.  It's still light."  

Another love of mine is the Farmers Market (really, I am a sucker for any roadside stand).  This weekend I picked up some beautiful Swiss chard and prepared it tonight.  (Check out the link for all of the awesome health bennies). Here's the recipe:

1 bunch Swiss chard

1 garlic clove 

1 Tbs olive oil

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/3 cup raisins

Salt 

Pepper

Wash the Swiss chard very well or it will be sandy.  Cut off the thick stems and discard and then chop the leaves. 

Warm the olive oil in a large skillet

Add the garlic and cook 1 minute

Add the Swiss chard and chicken stock

Season with salt and pepper

Cook on medium heat for 15 minutes

Add the raisins and cook on low until the Swiss chard is very tender

Note: Swiss chard will cook down to about 1/4 it's original size. 2 cups uncooked will be about 1/2 cup after cooked.