Chard Season

I spent a bit of time yesterday pondering what I should do with the absolutely gorgeous--and enormous--bunch of rainbow chard I purchased from one of the farmers at the New Amsterdam Market. The plant's color seems to bleed when you cook it, and I wanted to preserve and enjoy its beauty somehow...so I decided I'd experiment with half of it by making a raw salad. It was a success: another dark green, vitamin-rich, flavorful side option with that unmistakable Swiss chard taste.

Rainbow Chard Salad

• 1 small bunch (or 1/2 large bunch) of rainbow chard (it's probably best if you get some that's been freshly harvested)
• 1 large green onion
• juice of 1/2 lime
• 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste
• 1 medium vine-ripened tomato

Wash and dry the chard, roll the leaves into a cigar shape, then cut into 1/4-inch slices (you'll end up with long strips when everything unrolls). Chop the stems into slightly smaller pieces, and thinly slice the entire green onion. Place the chard and onion in a large bowl with the lime juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper, and toss with your hands, squeezing everything together to coat. Roughly dice the tomato and toss into the mix. Pop the salad into the refrigerator and allow everything to marinate for at least 30 minutes (if you have time, allow the flavors to mingle for 2 hours or more). Serve.