Your Favorite Recipe for kale?

[p.j.]

I bought a huge, beautiful bunch of kale for 99 cents, intending to use it in a bean soup or something....
Now I can't find a recipe that sounds good. Argh.
I would appreciate someone pointing me in the right direction.
Thanks, p.j.

[harrie]

Does it have to be vegetarian? If not, saute either bacon or Italian sausage in a good-sized saute pan; when onion is translucent and meat cooked/browned, add roughly chopped kale, about1-1/2 cup of broth (chicken or veg), and white beans (either canned or soaked overnight). Let it cook up for about 30-45 minutes on low-ish heat, checking occasionally to see if you need to add more liquid, and give it a good shot of grated parm or romano about 15 minutes before serving. You can serve it with more grated parm on the side, too.

The colcannon idea is excellent, too. We had an excellent crop yield this year of kale, potatoes and cabbage, so we've done a lot of colcannon in the last few months.

[Louise]

No one has mentioned ribollita?

http://www.divinacucina.com/code/ribo...

[piccola]

Most of my faves - salad, chips, stew - have been mentioned, but I'll add another: colcannon. Just boil, squeeze and chop your kale, then mix in with garlicky mashed potatoes. Leftovers make the best potato cakes.

[Chris VR]

Here's what I do with kale:

Summer:

1 head kale, shredded
1 avocado chopped
juice of one lemon
1 c tomato diced
salt to taste

In mixing bowl sprinkle the lemon juice over the kale and then add the avocado. Using your hands, thoroughly massage the avocado into the kale until it "relaxes". Taste and add salt. Mix in the tomato.

Winter:

• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb. Yukon Gold or Yellow Finn potatoes, peeled and cut into small pieces
• 6 c. low-salt chicken stock
• 1 c. red wine
• 1 small bay leaf
•1/4c. chopped parsley

• 1 (15-oz.) can whole tomatoes with juice (chopped)
• 11/2 c. cooked or canned cannelini beans (or kidney beans)
• 1 lb. kale, rinsed and cut into thin strips
• 1 lb. cooked sweet Italian sausage, cut into 1/2-in. slices (note, I used raw sausage and it cooked fine, and the fat gave the soup a nice feel. I've also made this with a more traditional chorizo and would like to try with linguica)

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• Parmesan cheese for garnish, if desired

In a large pot, sauté the onions, carrots and garlic in the oil until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes, broth, wine, bay leaf and parsley and simmer, partially covered, for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked. Stir in the tomatoes and beans along with the kale and sausage and continue simmering about 25 to 30 minutes. Season to taste and serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese if desired.

[CKC21]

Kale is my favorite!

Soup this week was River Cafe's Winter Minestrone: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1732/the-river-cafes-winter-minestrone.

Kale with Lemon and Candied Ginger gave me something a little sweet: http://www.modernbeet.com/archives/5.

Enjoy

CK

[patz]

I made a kale salad for lunch today - kale, pinenuts, dried cranberries, olive oil, lemons (I used to buy a similar salad from a deli, but realized how cheap and easy it is to make!)
I also just read a kale recipe to cook kale in salted water for 7-10 min, meanwhile cook some garlic, onion, red pepper flakes, white wine, and lemon for a few minutes, once the kale is done, throw it in the garlic mixture with some cooking water if needed. I haven't tried it yet, but I plan to soon!

[Shrinkrap]

Is the kale in the salad raw? As the second recipe served hot, cold, or what?

[lgss]

It says, "cook kale in salted water for 7-10 min..."

[patz]

the kale in the salad is raw. i haven't made the second recipe yet, but my guess is that it's best served hot

[p.j.]

Thank you all SO much. These are all delectable-sounding ideas.
You are such a generous group, with so many excellent suggestions.
I'd better get off the computer and get into the kitchen.
Take care and stay warm, p.j.

[mamaciita]

We eat TONS of kale.

My favorite non-soup preparation is an adaptation of one in Sarah Fritschner's vegetarian cookbook:

Sautee 3-4 chopped garlic cloves in a bit of olive oil (big skillet, of course. . .).

When the garlic is soft, add 3/4 cup chicken stock, 1/4 cup currants, salt and pepper. Add chopped kale in batches until it wilts enough to fit in the pan, cover, and simmer until kale is done.

Remove the lid, turn up the heat and let any excess liquid boil off.

Serve topped with toasted pecans or pine nuts, crumbled feta cheese, and a drizzle of vinegar.

[bear]

Here are a couple of good threads from the summer season:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/406853

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/530801

[sarah galvin]

From Vij's restaurant in Vancouver ... the best.

Slice cleaned kale. Marinade in a mixture of coconut milk,lemon juice, paprika, salt, pepper and grill on the barbecue. Fantastic.

[likescrab]

so how do you barbecue sliced kale?

[sarah galvin]

In a basket. I have a couple of veggie baskets.

[lgss]

Masamba: potatoes and kale (or collards) ribbons steamed then topped with a mixture of peanut butter and salsa.

[likescrab]

peanut butter and salsa? huh?

[lgss]

Try it! Sounds odd at first but tastes great.

[etoiles]

I love Italian Wedding Soup made with kale instead of spinach. It is so good!

[likescrab]

A couple of options: 1) saute with slivered garlic, pine nuts and raisins in olive oil, finish with a pat of butter 2) saute plain, the layer into a lasagne. i did that this week and my kids didn't even notice! bonus!

[lagatta]

Here in Montréal it is below -20c (that is a minus in F as well) so I'd think of a Dutch stampot (chopped cooked kale with a potato mash and other things, usually sausage).

[Tom P]

I go through tons of Kale. I love it. Chard and other greens, too, but lately I mostly use kale.

Here are two I cook often:

PASTA WITH GREENS

Start your pasta water heating.

Slice the kale/chard/greens about twice the size of matchsticks... it doesn't have to be exact, you could tear it, even.

Then, saute the greens in a mixture of olive oil and butter with chopped onion, garlic (chopped or slivered) and as they cook down, add chopped parsley. (I often add a variety of herbs, though just italian parsley works great.)

If you like the idea, add a couple of diced tomatoes at this point, or some cherry tomatoes halved. Let the saute cook down as the pasta boils... I use either spaghetti or penne, though most any pasta you have will work.

When the pasta is done, toss it with the sauce and grated parmesean or pecorino.

**You can also add a little wine or chicken or vegetable broth about halfway through the saute for additional flavor. I do this often. Beet greens are also a wonderful addition.

This is wonderfully tasty.

KALE SCRAMBLE

This comes from a wonderful book called The Jungle Effect about the healthiest diets in the world. It may sound strange, but if you make it as written with all the ingredients, it is terrific.

2 T EVOO
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 - 3 large handfuls kale (or any fresh green: chard, beet green, spinach, etc) washed and torn into bite sized pieces, stems removed
2 T crumbled feta (or goat cheese or shredded manchego, etc)
3-4 eggs, lightly beaten
small handful kalamata olives, torn or chopped
salt and papper
1 lemon, halved

- Heat EVOO over medium heat, add garlic and stir until soft, being careful not to brown

- Add greens and salt& pepper, and sauté until desired consistency (I like them softer but with still a bit of a bite; others may want to sauté until quite soft)

- Sprinkle cheese all over the greens, then pour in eggs

- Cook until desired consistency. I just cook them as if to scramble, stirring…you could also evenly distribute everything in the pan, cover, and let cook by sitting.

- Top with olives and squeeze of lemon (this really makes the dish)

[goodhealthgourmet]

somewhat similar to Tom P's scramble, i used up my kale in a frittata last night - along with chopped onion & garlic, sliced mushrooms, red bell pepper and chopped sun-dried tomatoes, all sauteed before pouring the eggs into the pan. seasonings were simple - fresh thyme, salt, pepper & smoked paprika. topped it with crumbled fresh goat cheese before popping it under the broiler (cheese gets slightly soft, kale gets a little crispy). finished it with a drizzle of Cholula hot sauce...delish.

[buckeye.mary]

I don't have a bean soup recipe, but my new favorite way to prepare kale is to roast it. Spray it with olive oil, sprinkle on salt, and roast it until crispy.

[galleygirl]

Me too!
I toss it with a T. of olive oil, roast at 350 for 7 minutes, flip it over, another 7...take it out, and sprinkle with salt. Watch it disappear before dinner is ready...

[goodhealthgourmet]

i love roasted kale"chips" as a delicious, healthy alternative to packaged snack foods. they're also great crumbled over salad.

[Ruth Lafler]

I've had a kale salad similar to this one, and even for a non-kale lover it was amazingly delicious: http://books.google.com/books?id=VN6k...

The deli where I buy it tells me it's incredibly popular -- they sell out of it every day. The ingredients are basically the same, but the version I buy the kale has been chopped up pretty finely (almost like a coarse parsley).