Hubby Erik and I don’t often disagree on food. We tend to like and dislike the same things and have a simpatico on all things on the comestible front. We generally part ways only because he is far more adventurous than I am. In the world of bungee jumping, he would already be in free fall while I would be standing on the ledge, calculating the number of broken limbs and splattered organs I would sustain if the chord broke.

In other words, Erik would eat a prepared animal eyeball if the restaurant inspired enough confidence. I wouldn’t. Which is probably one of the many reasons I’m not hosting Bizarre Foods and Andrew Zimmern is.

In any event, my sweet love and I parted ways on this savory Swiss chard, caper & goat cheese frittata. I absolutely adored it and thought he would too because of the Swiss chard (he LOVES all greens) and the goat cheese (he loves CHEESE, without needing to get too specific).

Alas I was wrong. He didn’t like it one bit. I can only explain this unusual phenomenon because of my generous use of capers. While he likes them, he may perhaps not enjoy them when they take a major role in a dish. I happen to like their astringent, salty, herbal, and mildly medicinal properties. I guess I’ll make it again when he’s traveling on business.

But I will make it again.

making swiss chard, caper & goat cheese frittata

Prep 2 large bunches of Swiss chard.

Remove the stems from the leaves. Do it using A Method: by placing each chard leaf on a cutting board and making two long incisions, one to the right and the other to the left of the stem. Or by using B Method, which requires folding the leaf in half and then making just one incision along the length of the stem. Both roads take you to Rome.

Remove the stem from the leaf and cut off the last inch off of the end. Wash the stems and then very thinly slice them.

Stack 5-6 leaves and then gently fold them in half, and then in half again, creating a sort of loose roll.

Slice the roll perpendicularly to create lots of chard slivers. Place them in a colander and wash them thoroughly. Let drain.

Heat a skillet on medium heat for a minute and then add 2 TBSPs of olive oil. Swirl the pan around until the bottom of the skillet is evenly covered. Once the surface of the oil begins to swirl but is not yet smoking, add 2 chopped small white onions (or 1 large one), the chopped chard stems, along with salt and pepper to taste.

Cook covered on very low heat for 15 minutes or so, mixing every so often. Do not skip this step, as it’s the foundation of the dish.

Preheat the oven to 500°F.

Add the sliced chard leaves along with a couple pinches of salt and stir.

Continue cooking until the leaves have completely wilted.

Add 1 tsp. of drained capers, stir and turn up the heat to medium high and continue cooking and stirring until any remaining moisture has evaporated.

Place chard mixture in seasoned cast iron skillet.

Beat 4 large eggs, along with salt and pepper, in a medium bowl. Carefully pour egg mixture over the cooked chards, making sure eggs are evenly distributed throughout the skillet. Cover and cook on low heat until the top of the frittata is no longer liquidy, about 8-10 minutes.

At this point the oven is nice and hot so turn on the broiler on high.

Slice a 4 oz. log of goat cheese into 1/3-inch ‘medallions.’ Distribute the slices throughout the surface, gently pressing down as you place them.

Place the skillet on the highest shelf in the oven and broil for a minute or two until the goat cheese starts to brown. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 5-6 servings.