Butter Beans & Chard

This is a side dish we’re having with pork chops. I think it would work equally well with crispy skinned chicken though. The boy agrees with this and thinks we don’t have crispy skinned chicken nearly often enough.

1 x 400g tin butter beans

1 handful Swiss chard, leaves only, stems removed

A healthy glug of olive oil

A splash of white wine

1 red chilli, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

½  a lemon, zest and juice

A splash of Balsamic vinegar

Chop the chard leaves, chop the garlic, chop the chilli. Rinse the butter beans.

Heat the oil in a pan and gently cook the chilli and garlic. Add the chard and give it a good stir. Pour in the beans, including the starchy water they come in, which will thicken it.

Add lots of salt and pepper and the lemon juice and zest. I’m adding a splash of Pinot Grigio and a very small dash of Balsamic. The boy is pouring the rest of the wine into glasses before I can use too much of it.

He thinks this is far too much fuss over what he calls “posh cabbage.” He just wants to know if I’m going to get the pork chop fat nice and crispy. I am.

Get him to taste once the alcohol has burned off. It often needs a little more chilli, which can be a good brand of chilli powder. This needs to sing, and should have a sharpness and heat to contrast with the fat in the pork chops. You could buy fat free pork chops but why would you?