This is essentially two side dishes mixed together, but you can always serve the wild rice and the chard separately. The make-ahead rice recipe is based on the proportions given in Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian. Serve both with pork chops, chicken breasts, or alone.

Steps

1. Make the rice: Put the rice and water in a saucepan and let soak for 1 hour. Add the salt and olive oil, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for at least 1 hour. When cooked, about half of the rice grains should have split open. If there is any excess water, dump the rice into a colander to drain it off. Set aside to cool, then store in the fridge until needed.
2. Make the chard: Put the olive oil and chile flakes into a large Dutch oven or skillet. Add the onion, garlic, and diced chard stems, and cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until the onion starts to look translucent. Add the sliced chard leaves and cook, stirring, until the leaves have wilted. Stir in the vinegar or lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Assemble the dish: Add the cooled rice back to the hot chard and mix together over medium heat until the rice is heated through. Serve as a base for meat or fish, or simply serve it as is.