Blitva, a Croatian staple

aka Swiss chard

Blitva is the Croatian name for Swiss chard, a vegetable I had previously only struggled to cook appealingly, if only because the stalks would become an unappetizing brownish colour. As of today, after visiting Dalmatia, where trying blitva side dishes gave me hope for this vegetable, I am happy to say that I can now cook it deliciously while keeping an agreeable colour.

Photo by Rebeca G. Sendroiu on Unsplash

Swiss chard is a staple in Dalmatia. People cook it in many different ways, and there is even a festival in Podgora—Blitvijada— dedicated to it.

Soparnik, a thin savoury pie with a filling of Swiss chard, that we ate in a square in Split.

My favourite, and perhaps the most common, Swiss chard recipe, is a Croatian side dish prepared with potatoes and garlic typically served with grilled fish (we also tried it with grilled squid). Below, you can find a recipe for this side dish and try it yourself.

---

If you haven’t read it yet, I wrote a post about traditional Dalmatian food and some places to eat in Zadar.

Exploring Croatian food in Dalmatia

---

Tips for cooking Swiss chard

• It appears that the method you use to cook Swiss chard affects its final colour. Every time I used it directly in an aluminium pan or pot (for example, in a stir-fry), it acquired a dull brownish colour. Simmering it in salted water, as in the recipe below, helps prevent this, but I would still refrain from cooking it for too long.

• Separating the stalky and the leafy part of the chard allows you to cook the stalks until tender while not overcooking the leaves, which only need a quick blanch to be ready. Besides leaving them intact and not too mushy, the quick blanching keeps the leaves’ colour vibrant.

• Depending on the size of the leaves, separating stalks and leaves can be done by:

  • Cutting where the largest part of the stalk finishes (if leaves are younger and smaller).

  • Cutting alongside the stem (if the leaves are larger), as the stalk in the leafy part has also grown larger and tougher.

Cutting Swiss chard. (left) For smaller leaves, you can simply cut where the leafy part ends. (right) For larger leaves, it can be better to cut along the stalk.

Garlicky Swiss chard and potatoes

It doesn’t take many ingredients to prepare this delicious side dish. It is typically eaten with fish or squid, but you can make it vegetarian by adding an egg instead or just eating it as a side for whatever you fancy.

Ingredients

• 500 g Swiss chard

• 200 g potatoes, preferably starchy/floury, as the starch released from the boiled potatoes helps create some creaminess and bind the dish together.

• 1 large garlic clove

• Olive oil

• Salt

Method

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil.

2. Cut the potatoes into ~2 cm cubes.

3. Wash the chard, and separate stalks and leaves as described in the tips above. If any stalk is very large, divide it in half. Then, cut all stalks into 2 cm pieces. Stack the leaves and cut them into strips (3-4 cm large).

4. When the water comes to a boil, add a good amount of salt. Add the potato cubes and the chard stalk pieces. After the water reaches the boiling point again, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, mince the garlic clove.

6. When the time is up, add the chard leaves and simmer for 2 more minutes.

7. Drain everything and pop it into a bowl.

8. Add the minced garlic and a good glug of olive oil.

9. Mix everything thoroughly, adding more olive oil and salt if needed.

10. Enjoy!