This rainbow chard and candied walnut side dish is the perfect way to jazz up your traditional side of greens! Buttery, sautéed pieces of rainbow chard (silverbeet), are topped with walnuts candied in a butter-and-honey caramel/toffee. Easy, delicious, and incredibly versatile.
Pairing Chard with Walnuts
Rainbow chard is a particular kind of Swiss Chard. Silverbeet (or just ‘chard’ if you are in the Northern hemisphere) is also a particular kind of chard. The flavour and texture of chard is kind of a cross between spinach and kale. It has a slight bitterness when raw or under-cooked, due to the oxalic acid (oxalates).
Chard is edible raw, but cooking it reduces the bitterness and brings out a lovely sweetness and earthiness! That’s why pairing buttery, sautéed rainbow chard with candied walnuts works so well – the caramel/toffee-coated walnuts are crunchy and sweet. This helps cut through the slight bitterness of the chard, and the crisp texture of the tender stems.
Making this Rainbow Chard with Candied Walnuts
This lovely little side dish comes together in 10 minutes and uses just a few simple ingredients. For the rainbow chard, you need some salt and pepper and some butter to sauté the stems and leaves in. And for the caramel/toffee to coat the walnuts, you just need butter, honey, and a pinch of salt.
At its most basic, caramel is made by browning sugar, but there are so many variations on this. Cooking white sugar, butter and cream at a lower temperature will give you a softer, chewier caramel. Substituting the white sugar for brown sugar will give you butterscotch. A basic toffee, however, is made with sugar and butter, cooked to a higher temperature to reach a “hard crack” stage.
Because this recipe calls for butter and honey, and you’re trying to achieve that crunchy, brittle-like texture, I suppose this is closer to a toffee (or a hard caramel)! Technicalities aside, it’s just delicious.
You can substitute the honey for sugar if you like. I choose honey since our honeybees give us delicious raw honey and I avoid processed sugars for health reasons. Honey also gives a lovely floral note to the walnuts in my opinion!
Trust me, you’ll want to do this with all your nuts! It would work beautifully with macadamias, pecans, cashews, almonds, peanuts – any nut you’d like to jazz up!
Serving Your Rainbow Chard with Candied Walnuts
This side dish is perfect when you want to add some texture and crunch to a dish. Think purées, sauces, braised or slow-cooked meats. I love to pair this dish with my carrot and caramelised onion purée, with slices of my boneless lamb shoulder roast with garlic, lemon and rosemary. This is a dish to make when you want to get a bit fancy and impress a crowd!
Next time you’re thinking of doing a side of greens, try this rainbow chard with candied walnuts instead! A lovely side for Christmas dinner, or alongside any grilled or roasted meats. It is also beautiful just on its own as a warm, crunchy, salad.
However you choose to serve this dish, I truly hope you enjoy this recipe! xxx
Rainbow Chard with Candied Walnuts
Description
Buttery, sautéed rainbow chard (silverbeet), topped with candied walnuts coated in a butter-and-honey caramel/toffee. A delicious way to jazz up a side of greens!
Ingredients
For the Rainbow Chard
For the Candied Walnuts
Method
For the Rainbow Chard
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Melt 1 tbsp of butter in a pan on medium heat. Throw in your rainbow chard stalks, a pinch of salt and pepper, and sauté for 2 minutes.
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Add the remaining 1 tbsp of butter, your rainbow chard leaves, and a pinch more salt and pepper. Sauté for another 2-3 minutes or until the leaves are wilted and soft.
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Meanwhile, make your candied walnuts.
For the Candied Walnuts
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Melt the butter in a pan on medium-low heat. Once melted, add your honey.
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Once it starts to bubble slightly, throw in your walnuts with a pinch of salt. Toss to ensure the walnuts are all coated in the caramel/toffee.
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Continue stirring around the walnuts to ensure even caramelisation. The caramel/toffee will start to bubble and thicken. Be careful not to let it burn! Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the caramel/toffee has thickened, and has reached a dark, golden colour. Take off the heat immediately. (See Note 1)
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Place your rainbow chard in a serving dish, top with the candied walnuts, and enjoy!
Note
- Do not walk away from the nuts at this stage - caramel can burn within a few seconds, and there is no saving it! You will know it's burnt when it has a bitter smell, and has gone from a golden brown to black. It's best to start over if this happens.
