Chard Coasts: 5 Recipes to Avoid Wasting Them

I stems of the chard, commonly called coasts, are edible and I can be used to prepare many recipes. Often when we cook chard, we focus on the leaves and end up discarding the stems, but these too are delicious, nutritious, and versatile: just knowing the right cooking times and a few creative ideas are enough to transform them into original dishes.

Discover how to use the coasts of chard in the kitchen thanks to our zero waste column and give new life to one of the typical vegetables of winter.

Difference between leaf and coast of the chard

Swiss chard (or chard) is a green leafy vegetable composed of two distinct parts:

• The leaf, thanks to its tender and thin consistency, is perfect for soups, savoury cakes, omelettes and for stir-frying
• The rib is the middle part of the chard and has a more fibrous texture.

Due to their characteristics, these two parts have different cooking times: in fact, the leaves cook in a few minutes, in 3/5 minutes they are ready, unlike the ribs which require a longer time, about 10/15 minutes depending on the size, to become tender.

Zero Waste suggestion: when washing the chard, remember to separate the leaves from the ribs before cooking them. In this world you will control the different cooking times and make the most of both parts.

Why you don't throw away chard ribs: properties and characteristics

Besides being delicious, the coasts are rich in fiber, mineral salts e vitamins (A, C and K) excellent for intestinal well-being and bone health. Low in calcium and high in water, they are perfect for a light and natural diet.
Including them in our diet therefore means not only reducing waste, but also rediscovering the cuisine of yesteryear, made up of simplicity and creativity.

 5 recipes to avoid wasting chard stems

Gratin, sweet and sour, fried, many tasty preparations that will surprise you. Here you go 5 simple and tasty recipes featuring the coasts as protagonists.

1. Baked grated chard ribs

A classic of home cooking: crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
Ingredients: chard ribs, breadcrumbs, parmesan, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.

• Wash and cut the ribs into pieces about 10 cm long.
• Blanch them for 10 minutes in salted water and drain.
• Arrange them in a lightly greased baking dish, sprinkle with breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of oil.
• bake at 180°C for 20 minutes, until they are golden brown on the surface.

2. Costs with béchamel sauce

A creamier version of ribs gratin, perfect for warming up winter days.

Ingredients: chard ribs, béchamel sauce, parmesan cheese, nutmeg, salt, pepper.

After cooking the ribs in salted water, drain them and place them in a baking dish, cover them with béchamel sauce, sprinkle with parmesan, pepper and nutmeg. Bake at 190° for 25 minutes until golden and creamy.

3. Crispy fried ribs (even in air fryers)

A delicious, crunchy and quick way to prepare the coasts of the chard.

Ingredients: chard ribs, egg, breadcrumbs, parmesan, flour, salt, frying oil.

• Cook the ribs for 5 minutes in salted water.
• Dry them well with kitchen paper.
• In a bowl, beat the eggs and season with salt and black pepper. In one dish, arrange the white flour and in another, combine the breadcrumbs with the cheese.
• Bread every single rib: dip them in flour, then in egg, and finally in the grated breadcrumb-Parmesan mix.
• Fry them in boiling oil until golden brown, about 2/3 minutes per side.
• Alternatively, you can bake them in an air fryer: brush with oil and bake at 185° for 10 to 12 minutes, turning them halfway through cooking.
• School them on paper towels and room lightly.

4. Bittersweet coasts

A recipe with an intense taste, perfect as a side dish for meats or legumes.

Ingredients: ribs, apple cider vinegar, sugar, raisins, pine nuts, extra virgin olive oil, salt.

Blanch the ribs and drain them. Toast the pine nuts with the raisins in a pan, then add the ribs. Deglaze with vinegar and add a teaspoon of sugar. Cook for a few minutes until the liquid reduces.

5. Savory cake with ribs and cheese

A simple and scenic one-pot meal.

Ingredients: puff pastry, ribs and leaves of chard, ricotta or stracchino, eggs, parmesan, salt, pepper.

Start by cooking the ribs, after about ten minutes add the chard leaves and cook for another 5 minutes. Drain, chop and add the ricotta/stracchino, egg and parmesan. Pour the mixture into the pastry and bake at 180° for 30-35 minutes.

Come conservare le coste delle biete

If you have a bunch of chard but don't want to consume it right away, you can store it in several ways:

• at fridge: wrapped in a damp cloth, they keep for 2-3 days,
• blanched and frozen, can last up to 3 months. Before freezing them, cut the ribs into pieces and dry them well, to prevent excess ice from forming.

Discover more ideas Zero wastes And all of our Bontà di Stagiones:

• Don't throw away the stems of the black cabbage: prepares this delicious recipe and durable.
• Here are 5 recipes to avoid wasting leek leaves.
• Discover all Zero Waste recipes by Bontà di Stagione.
• Chard can also be found in some of our bontà: such as the Vegetables cream.