Kale

[In the Kitchen]

Kale is supposed to be very healthy to eat. I see no one at the store buying this. Could someone give me a recipe they have tried to give it good flavor. To me it tastes like spinach. Thanks

[buckytom]

hi itk. i treat it like any other green. it's just a little more fibrous, so you need to discard most of the stem in the middle of the leaf. one way i make it is sauteed until it wilts in evoo with lotsa garlic, then i put in a little chicken stock, cover, and let it steam for a few minutes until tender.
it is also great in soups as it holds together better, not disintegrating into the soup.

one of my favorite fall soups is "irish 2 potato soup". i found a similar recipe called portugese kale and potato soup which used chorizo instead of ham. i liked the chorizo better, so here's my recipe for "irish/portugese 2 potato soup. (the amounts and times are approximate. i need to write stuff down when i cook)

5 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
2 1/2 cups diced onions
3 cups sliced carrots
1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound russet (baking) potatoes (about 2 large)
8 cups chicken broth
2 pounds chorizo, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 pound kale, stems discarded and the leaves washed well, spun dry, and shredded thin (about 10 cups packed)
1 pound red potatoes


In a kettle cook the garlic, the onions, and the carrot in the oil over moderately low heat, stirring, until the vegetables are softened. Add the russet potatoes (peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces), broth, and/or enough water to cover, bring the liquid to a boil, and simmer the mixture covered, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. While the potatoes are cooking, in a skillet cook the chorizo over moderate heat, stirring, until it is lightly browned. With a slotted spoon transfer the cooked potatoes to a blender, add about 2 cups of the cooking liquid and purée the mixture until it is smooth. Stir the purée potatoes into the broth mixture, add the chorizo, the kale, the red potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces, and salt and pepper to taste, and simmer the soup, covered, for 20 minutes, or until the red potatoes and kale are tender.

[GB]

I love kale! Here is one of my favorite ways to cook it.

Take one bunch of kale and wash it well. Chop into bite size pieces (stems and all). In a pan with a lid saute a clove or two of minced garlic with some chicken stock. Add some crushed red pepper. Saute for about 30 seconds. Add all the kale, a pinch of salt, and pour in some more chicken stock (I never measure, but maybe 1/2 a cup). Cover tightly. Let this steam until the kale is no longer bitter. Check every once in a while to make sure there is liquid in the pan. If it starts to dry out then just add more stock. Once the kale is no longer bitter take the lid off and give it a stir. Let it cook for a few more seconds. Take off the heat and add a clove of sliced raw garlic.

If the stems are thick the will take more time to cook. You could put the stems in first to give them a head start, or what I do is just put the stems on the bottom of the pan and then put the leaves on top. Just make sure the stems are chopped pretty small.

[chez suz]

I posted this quite sometime ago...found it..

PostPosted: 30-Sep-2004 05:56 PM
I know this might sound strange but...
Kale Crunch
Preheat oven to 350
Line a baking sheet w/foil then brush or spray w/oil
Wash and shake dry a big bunch of kale
Break off and discard stems
Cut across the leaves to make wide shreds.
Place on baking pan and bake 15 - 20 min, stirring once or twice.
When the kale bakes it becomes bright green and very crisp..Once the crunch is out of the oven you can salt it or sprinkle w/parasean cheese
Kale crunch is best day made but will keep a day or 2 in a tin at rm temp..
I got this reciope from the NY Times many yrs ago and your request reminded me of it.

[GB]

Buckytom, great minds think alike! Our recipes sound very similar. I had forgotten about kale in soup until you mentioned it (how could I have forgotten that???).

Here is a link to one of my favorites: Portuguese Sausage-Kale Soup

It called for turkey kielbasa, but you can use the real stuff too and it would be great.

[buckytom]

mmmm, gb, i like the idea of adding rice. dw doesn't like the pureed potatoes in my soup to thicken it., she says it makes it taste greasy;, even though there's very little fat in the soup, i guess she means it's the way the pureed potatoes taste silky, so i leave out that step sometimes and only add the red potatoes at the end. i think i'll try the rice next time. thanks bud! :D

[GB]

Buckytom I love the idea of the two potatoes, and chorizo is one of my favorites. I can't wait to try this one.

[marmalady]

And if'n ya still don't like it with all those wonderful recipes, it makes a great looking base for an appetizer plate!

[In the Kitchen]

I do THANK ALL OF YOU! I love you all for taking the time to answer. i just leave for few hours and I get so many different responses. In my regular daily life I have to wait so long that times I forget what I asked when they finally tell me. This seems so cruel and I only hope I will never ever do that. It is so hard to be perfect. You people sure are considerate. I only wish that whenever you ask someone they respond to you the same. It just seems so amazing to me. Again thanks.

[jennyema]

I love kale. I sautee it with garlic and onions.

But I also chop a head up and put it in my pot roast, letting it cook in the sauce.

You can also use it in other soups, like veryone mentioned.

This is one of may favorite dishes of all time. Ribolitta. It uses kale. Lidia B's recipe is fantastic. Tastes vey much like the ribolitta you'd eat in italy: http://www.goodcooking.com/ckbookrv/...t/lidiarev.htm