# Kale



## In the Kitchen (Dec 18, 2004)

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


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## buckytom (Dec 18, 2004)

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.


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## GB (Dec 18, 2004)

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.


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## chez suz (Dec 18, 2004)

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.


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## GB (Dec 18, 2004)

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.


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## buckytom (Dec 18, 2004)

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!


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## GB (Dec 18, 2004)

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


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## marmalady (Dec 18, 2004)

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


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## In the Kitchen (Dec 18, 2004)

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.


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## jennyema (Dec 20, 2004)

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/lid_bast/lidiarev.htm


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## In the Kitchen (Dec 23, 2004)

buckytom, tried your recipe last nite and was great.  Sure smelled the house up.  The chorizo was really spicy is that the way it always is?  I loved all the onions, carrots, and potatoes together.  Made enough for all of them to get good helping.  I will go through this list and try all of them.  I love the kale and tastes very good. Thanks for sharing.


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## buckytom (Dec 24, 2004)

hi itk, i'm glad you liked it. it is a very hearty soup, for those cold and damp irish evenings on the northwest coast.
i've found that browning the chorizo intensifies it's flavors, so it must have been somewhat spicey to begin with.
did you follow the recipe exactly, or did you tweak anything? i love to hear about improvements.
sorry about the smell. i love stinky food. half the flavor of a dish comes from your nose...


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## In the Kitchen (Dec 24, 2004)

You sure said a mouthful.  I do love that recipe and I did it exactly the way you said.  It is a keeper so we'll be thinking of you when we eat it.  Having the kale in it really was surprise.  Thanks buckytom.


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## norgeskog (Feb 22, 2005)

In the Kitchen said:
			
		

> 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



I posted a recipe for Olive Gardens Tuscan soup which is a chicken stock base with Kale, sausage, bacon, potatoes and cream.  It is wonderful.


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## Ishbel (Feb 24, 2005)

I use kale in place of spring greens in soups and chicken casseroles.

I like to serve duck breasts or darne of salmon  on a bed of  kale.

1 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic crushed garlic clove
7oz curly kale
Juice of half a lemon

Heat the oil in a large sauté pan.
Add the crushed garlic, and cook for one minute, then add the kale, and fry for 4-5 minutes, until softened (keep stirring whilst the kale softens). Add the lemon juice and toss, to combine just before serving.


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## In the Kitchen (Feb 24, 2005)

Ishbel, keep on eating the way you do.  Always sounds so healthy to me.  I admire your incentive to do right.  Now that is new one, duck breasts.  and what in the world is darne of salmon?  I never have seen duck breasts sold around here.  Does it taste like chicken?  I bet has own flavor.


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## Ishbel (Feb 24, 2005)

A 'darne' of salmon is a sort of pillow shaped cut from the salmon fillet. That's what my fishmonger calls it, anyway!

Duck is a fairly common meat here in the UK. It's certainly 'game-ier' than a chicken and some find it a trifle fatty - but served with a cherry or l'orange sauce - it is really nice  8)


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## In the Kitchen (Feb 24, 2005)

Sounds so good and know you enjoy fixing it.  Is the salmon fresh.  So many complain around here about fish being something to worry about.  My brother has his own pond and eats the fish from there so no worry about chemicals.  I used to enjoy eating fish until everyone said not the way it used to be.  Do you have these worries where you are?  Then this business about mad cow disease!  But I would eat fish more than beef if not always precaution.


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## Ishbel (Feb 25, 2005)

I only buy organic salmon, trout and meat.  There was never a case of Mad Cow disease in any of the Scottish herds - and I only ever buy Aberdeen Angus - so I've never worried on that score!  I have never bought really cheap cuts of meat or processed dishes using beef - because that's where the risk of CJD is based....   So, although beef went through the doldrums here in the UK for a number of years, I never stopped eating it because I was absolutely sure of the provenance of the beasts whose meat I was consuming!  My butcher sources all his meat from local farmers.

Scotland has some of the finest salmon rivers in the world - and all our fish is fresh - A lot of our fish is landed at Aberdeen, a big fishing town and then shipped all over Scotland (and the rest of the UK) and the fish in my fishmonger's shop is absolutely fresh!


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## In the Kitchen (Feb 25, 2005)

Ishbel, count your blessings!  Sounds wonderful everything still so pure.  That is the way life was meant to be.  However, I bought some beef from some local people here that were starting to try to raise the cows themselves and when I tried it the meat was tough.  My brother claims they did not give the cows the right grain to eat.  There was no fat but oh how hard to chew and swallow it.  Smelled very good but what a disaster.  Keep on eating the fish it is supposed to be the best thing for you.  My family is fearful of eating fish around here.  AS I said people with their chemicals.  My brother used to yell at me for buying colored toilet paper telling me it was going to affect the water system.  He is not as strict now because he can see one individual doesn't make difference in this big country.


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## In the Kitchen (Feb 25, 2005)

norgeskog said:
			
		

> In the Kitchen said:
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Thank you norgeskog for informing me of this.  I probably will have to make it cause they sure don't want to go out as long as I can fix it.  You really liked it.  How did yours turn out?  Did fixing it take away the enjoyment of it?  Has cream in it.  Did you use it?  I see Kale in the stores but no one buys it.  Has a different flavor.  Some things just interest me to eat more of it.  Thanks again for your post.  Sorry I didn't check it before.


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