Sauteed Chard with Currants

As we were making dinner for guests this weekend, I realized that our "easy" dinner of grilled steaks, summer squash and a big salad with my lemony-sweet pickled beets and goat cheese was not going to be so easy. I had no more lettuce in the fridge and there was no way I was going to the grocery store to get more vegetables. I had to think fast, as the steaks and squash were already grilling (read: I had 7 minutes to prepare another side dish)

I had chard and other cooking greens in the fridge (you know, the usual... tatsoi, komatsuna, mizuna), a fresh onion and a fresh head of garlic. I also had a lemon that I'd zested the night before to make the zucchini blueberry breakfast muffins, which needed to be used. Plus, I randomly picked up some dried currants from the grocery store last week. I'd heard of pairing currants with swiss chard before, but I've never read any recipes or tried the combination, as I do not like eating re-hydrated raisins/currants/any dried fruit. I added the currants at the very end of the sauteing, in the hopes that they'd moisten, but not get plump.

What came together was sweet and tasty (and there were no fat currants!):

Recipe: Sauteed Chard and Greens with Currants

by Nicole
Serves 4-5 as a side dish
(And, yes, this can be done in 7 minutes)

You'll need:

• 6 cups coarsely chopped swiss chard, greens (such as tatsoi, komatsuna, mizuna), or a combination of both
• 2 cloves garlic
• (I used fresh garlic from the CSA, which is not as strong as dried garlic)
• 1/3 of a large sweet onion
• (I used a fresh onion from the CSA)
• olive oil
• a generous wedge of lemon
• 1/4 cup dried currants, or more, if desired 

In a medium pot with high sides, quickly saute garlic and onions in a drizzle of olive oil, about 1 minute. Add all greens on top of garlic and onions and cover pot. Let steam approx 2 minutes, until greens are wilting and bright green. Stir together with onions and garlic, and cook another minute or two. Turn off heat, add currants and squeeze lemon over greens. Stir together and serve.