slightly southern swiss chard

i originally crafted this recipe for the mustard greens that came in my last csa pickup.  from growing up in the rural south, i was familiar with cooked greens (collards, mustard and turnip greens), but i hadn't cooked with them before.  as a dutiful cook, i began with the basics.  about these greens, mark bittman, merely said that they were a green of the South that are "traditionally boiled to death with smoked meat."    i turned to one of my southern culinary gurus, mama dip.  

this recipe is a compromise between my southern tastebuds and my desire to keep the nutrients and integrity of the fresh greens.

i found my adaptation worked very well with rainbow swiss chard (i didn't even have to blanche it first).

1/4 yellow onion - finely chopped

3 slices bacon - diced while raw

1 bunch swiss chard (or other green - the heartier the green, the longer the cooking time)

1/8 chicken stock (water will do)

dash red pepper flakes (to taste)

salt and pepper

in large saucepan saute onions, add salt and pepper, add chopped bacon and cook over medium high heat until bacon is crispy.  add swiss chard, stock, and red pepper.  cook uncovered over medium heat until chard is wilted and stock evaporates (5-7 minutes).  serve over polenta (see below).  note: in the photo, i have more liquid than i would have liked, thus i reduced the amount to add for the recipe.  however, the rainbow chard is just so pretty, i couldn't resist showing it cooking.

2 cups chicken stock

1 teaspoon butter

1/4 cup tomatoes - diced

3/4 to 1 cup quick-cooking polenta (more or less depending on how thick you like your polenta)

1/4 cup mozzarella cheese (or whichever you like, a white cheddar also works nicely)

salt and pepper

add stock, butter and tomatoes to a large sauce pan.  bring to simmer.  slowly stir in polenta.  turn heat off, add cheese and stir until blended.