Swiss Chard Tzatziki

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A variant on what might be considered "Astoria's Sauce", tzatziki. Normally made with cucumbers, they are replaced with swiss chard in this recipe, adapted from Martha Stewart Living.

Swiss Chard Tzatziki

1 cup finely chopped Swiss chard leaves (remove ribs)
1 garlic clove
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup plain yogurt
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
A dash of cayenne

3pita breads, cut like a pie into triangles
Olive oil for drizzling on to the pita bread

Bring a 1 or 2 quart saucepan, half filled with water, to a boil. Add the chopped chard leaves. Cook until tender, about 3-5 minutes. While the chard is cooking, prepare a bowl with ice water for an ice bath. When the chard is cooked, strain through a fine mesh strainer and put into the ice bath to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.

Using mortar and pestle, grind the garlic and salt into a paste. In a medium-sized bowl, stir in the yogurt, chard, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper. Set aside.

Cut the pita bread into triangles and layout in one layer in a broiling pan (use a sturdy broiling pan, not a cookie sheet or your cookie sheet will warp). Drizzle olive oil on one side of the pita wedges. Use a pastry brush to spread the olive oil more evenly. Place in a broiler. Broil for 5 minutes or until the pita bread starts to toast. Remove and let cool for a minute.

Serve the tzatziki with the pita wedges.