Chard Stems with Sesame-Yogurt Sauce and Black Sesame Seeds

A couple of days ago I made this chard soup. It was fantastic. Today I'm following another recipe from the same cookbook, "Vegetable Literacy" by Deborah Madison that uses the chard stems. I know, a recipe just for stems. I wasn't sure what this would taste like. But it turns out this is really, really good. The flavor comes from a sauce made with thick yogurt, tahini paste and a few other ingredients. Madison finishes the dish with a teaspoon of black sesame seeds, which I forgot to do. It was a striking dish without them, but I can see how they would add to the finishing touch.

Ingredients:

The stems from 12 or more leaves chard (rainbow chard is actually recommended because of the colors)
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 large clove garlic, halved
1 tablespoon tahini
1/3 cup thick yogurt (I used Fage)
1 teaspoon black sesame seeds
1 lemon, quartered

Trim the ends, then cut the stems into 4 -inch lengths.

Bring a shallow skillet of water to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon or so salt, the oil, half the garlic clove, and the chard stems and simmer until the stems are tender. The best way to find out if they are ready is to remove a piece, slice into it, and take a bite. It can take as little as 4 or 5 minutes, or somewhat longer, depending on the size and age of the stems. Remove them and place in a colander or clean kitchen towel.

To make the sauce, pound the remaining half garlic clove with 1/4 teaspoon salt until smooth. Add the tahini and yogurt and work together to form a smooth sauce. Toast the sesame seeds in a small skillet over medium heat until fragrant, after several minutes, then pour them onto a plate to cool.

Loosely arrange the chard stems and leaves on individual plates. Add a spoonful of the sauce and a wedge of lemon to each plate. Finish with the sesame seeds. Serve chilled or a room temperature. Enjoy!