In the eastern Black Sea region, the thick white stems of chard, called pezik, are cooked separately from the leaves: peel away the strings, chop and briefly boil the stems, then sauté them with onion in butter and thicken the dish with cornmeal. While the leaves are set aside for börek or stuffed rolls, this dish makes use of the stems. It tastes mildly earthy and sweet, somewhat like beet.
Separate the chard stems from the leaves and wash them. For thick stems, grip the strings along the back with the tip of a knife and pull them lengthwise to peel them away; strings that remain will still be tough after cooking.
Cut the stems into 2 cm pieces.
Boil the stems in salted water for 6–8 minutes, until a fork slides in without resistance, then drain.
Sauté the finely chopped onion and crushed garlic in the butter over medium heat for 6–7 minutes.
Add the drained stems, salt and Turkish red pepper flakes. Stir and sauté for 8–10 minutes, until the stems begin to brown lightly.
Sprinkle the cornmeal over the stems and stir. Drizzle in the hot water and cook over low heat for 5–6 minutes, until the raw smell of the cornmeal is gone and it coats the stems.
Drain the blanched stems in a colander until the steam has escaped and all the water has drained away; wet stems will make the cornmeal clump.
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