Cook and Drink

Chard (Bietola, Blette, Krautsteil, Snijbiet) was once a popular and cheap vegetable. Today it’s hard to find and when you find it, it can be ridiculously expensive. A pity because it’s a very tasty vegetable. Forgotten for all the wrong reasons.
Chard is the main ingredient of Tourte de Blette, also known as Tourta de Bléa. It comes in two varieties: one sweet, one savoury.
In this dish (also known as Trouchia) we combine the rich flavours of the omelette with a touch of bitterness of the chard. Simple and delicious.

Wine Pairing

The omelette has a rich and creamy texture. You can pair it with a wine that offers contrast (a sparkling wine with notes of citrus for instance) or with one that complements the omelette, for instance a lightly oaked chardonnay. We decided to enjoy a pleasant, fruity rosé from the Var region in France.

What You Need

• 500 grams of Chard
• Olive Oil
• Parmesan Cheese
• Black Pepper
• 2 organic Eggs

What You Do

1. Wash the chard
2. Remove the stems (and use in another dish, perhaps a curry)
3. Chop the leaves
4. Add olive oil to a pan on medium heat
5. Add the chopped chard and sauté for 5-10 minutes. Duration will depend on the leaves (small, young leaves will be ready in 5 minutes)
6. Stir occasionally
7. Let cool
8. Beat the eggs
9. Add grated Parmesan cheese and black pepper
10. Add the chard to the egg mixture
11. Add olive oil to a relatively small pan on medium heat
12. Add the mixture and leave for 15 minutes or until baveuse
13. The omelette can be eaten warm or cold

Variations

• You could replace the Chard with Spinach or (better) with Water Spinach (also known as Kang Koen or Ong Choy).
• Some recipes for Trouchia suggest adding chopped parsley and/or basil.
• We tend to add a few chopped stems to the mixture because it gives the omelette a nice subtle crunch.
• You don’t want a golden (or even worse: brown) omelette because then the omelette will taste like fried eggs, and it will be firm.