Help me to love KALE

[Grace]

I really, really want to love kale. I keep getting some, I keep trying it, and while I LOVE cabbage and brussels sprouts (kale is in the same family), I just don't love kale. I know someone out there has the recipe that will turn me into a kale-a-holic!

I did a search already, and didn't come up with anything that got me really excited. So please, anyone who hasn't posted their favorite kale recipe already, would you please share yours?!!! Thanks everyone. If you all don't have the world's greatest kale recipe, then it simply doesn't exist!

(p.s., Lynn, I tried the honey-mustard pork tenderloin with the kale that you recommended - it was barely ok - I should say, the pork was great, the kale was just barely ok. I forced myself to eat it, but it was by no means something I would be excited about making again! But I did try it since we have such similar tastebuds! Got any other good kale ideas?!)

[SusanL]

Sautéed Mixed Greens with Olives and Ricotta Salata ?
Food and Wine, September '01
4 servings

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons pine nuts
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 pound kale- large stems discarded, leaves rinsed and cut in to 1 inch pieces
Salt
1 head escarole (about 1 pound, cored and cut into 3 inch pieces
1 pound spinach, stemmed
1/4 cup pitted Calamata olives, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon drained capers
Freshly ground pepper
3 ounces ricotta salata or feta cheese, cut into small dice (3/4 cup)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1. Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a very large skillet. Add the pine nuts and cook over medium heat, stirring until golden, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until golden, about 2 minutes longer.

2. Add the kale and season with salt. Cook over low hear, stirring often, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the escarole, season with salt and cook, stirring often, until just tender, about 5 minutes longer. Stir in the spinach and cook until wilted, about 3 minutes. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the olives and the capers and season with salt and pepper. Fold in the ricotta salata, add the lemon juice and serve.

Grace, just sauteing it in olive oil, garlic, and onion until it is wilted? Our all time favorite, sometimes I put balsamic vinegar or lemon juice - it has such a wonderful flavor?

[beejayw1]

Well, I love kale. I admit it. If you're into organic dish-scrubbers, there's nothing better.

...Oh, you mean to eat? :eek:

In that case, I'd rather go and chew on some rubber gloves that gave had a chance to cure in the sun for a bit. Preferably those that have been dabbling about in crankcase oil. :p

Actually, all kidding aside, I understand that there is a genetic predisposition to tasting or not tasting certain items. Cilantro, for example: a slice of the population absolutely can't stand it, and it tastes disgusting to them. I suspect kale is the same way.

I too like brussels sprouts and cabbage, but I gave kale up as a bad effort years ago. If you find you really can't get into it, there's probably a good reason. Why don't you substitute turnip greens, beet greens or good spinach for kale in recipes?

[Jennett]

A couple suggestions are Mixed Greens Saute with Polenta which calls for any type of mixed greens so you could use just kale, or a kale combo. They're sauteed with sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, onion, and bell peppers (I think), and served over polenta. There was also a recipe for a Greek Phyllo Pie that used lots of chard and kale in the filling, along with fresh fennel, a cottage cheese and feta mixture, and some rice. There were a lot of ingredients in the filling, so kale isn't the predominant taste. Another one that I haven't tried, but thought sounded interesting, was a Caribbean Noodle Soup, which if I'm remembering correctly had shrimp, butternut squash, udon noodles, and kale (I'm sure about the kale part). The seasonings were sweet and spicy (cilantro, ginger, honey, jalapeno).

Kale is on the list of the many foods I hated as a kid, didn't eat as an adolescent, and then discovered in college and now love. As a side, I usually just saute it with lemon juice, olive oil and pepper, or with a little chicken stock, diced red pepper, and sometimes ham or canadian bacon.

I'm at work now, but let me know if you'd like me to post any of these recipes. I could do it tonight.

[emilycat]

Well, Grace, I'm afraid this isn't really a recipe, per se, but I love to saute kale with garlic and onions, then stir in some really lovely bleu cheese until it melts, and serve the whole thing over pasta. I made this for my parents once, as well, only as a side dish without the pasta, and they loved it.

[lsdesign]

Hey Gail, my DH agrees with you about kale however he will eat it in Winter Vegetable Soup from CL 1994 Jan/Feb. Maybe it is because the kale is shredded and stewed that it becomes more palatable. In any case a kind soul posted this recipe for me last October 23rd since I tossed that mag when I moved. When the weather turns fallish I'd recommed this soup highly.

[Wendy w]

This is a very helpful thread. I frequently buy kale for my bird who loves it and it is usually more than he can eat. Aside from chopping it up finely and adding it to soup, I have been at a loss of what else to do with it. Thanks for all of your suggestions and I 2nd the request for the Winter Vegetable soup.

[Nancy171]

What about mixing it up with a lot of other stuff? I really like the Pork, Kale, and Bok Choy Stir-Fry from March 2000 -- the soy sauce, garlic, ginger, hoisin sauce, crushed red pepper, and shiitake mushrooms kind of cover up the kale taste. I also like the Pasta with White Beans and Kale from the CL Healthy Living issue a few years back. However, this dish is more kale-forward with just some garlic and lemon juice offsetting the bitterness. Let me know if you'd like them posted.

[JennieL]

Thanks for all the great posts! All your suggestions and recipes sound great.

I've had a "fear" of kale after working in a restaurant where I had to garnish the salad bar w/kale. I remember is feeling so rubbery, that I couln't imagine eating it.

[Little Bit]

I'm no huge fan of kale, and neither is my dad, but honestly we do like a mixture of turnip greens and mustard greens. (Don't care for either one separately, the mixture is good.) We just cook 'em with a smoked ham hock in some water 'for a while' until tender, then eat them with pepper vinegar and lots of extra corn bread to soak up the juice from the pot.
(If you cook them in too much water, they'll be what dad calls 'drowned' and just be too bland to eat.)

This might well be too much 'country cooking' for some folks out there, but it is tasty.

If you don't mind canned vetables, Glory Foods makes a seasoned mixed greens blend that isn't half bad, if probably too salty. I think it has a mixture of turnip greens, mustard greens and kale, don't know in what proportions. I've even rinsed their canned mixed greens, since I've heard that can reduce sodium levels, and they still taste fine.

[Jeanne G]

Grace,
Good luck to you and good for you that you keep trying. Too bad we're not neighbors b/c I could keep bringing you samples of things I've been experimenting with for kale! Here's a recipe that I make every summer, and this summer since I'm growing kale & chard, I did a combo of them both and it was really great!!

Chard, Tomato & Cheese Casserole

1 T olive oil
2 bunches Swiss chard, washed, center ribs cut away,
coarsely chopped (about 8 cups) = 25 leaves

3 red(or a combo of green & red) bell peppers, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups packed grated Reduced Fat Cheddar & Mozzarella
½ C grated Parmesan cheese
3 large tomatoes, thinly sliced
s & p to taste
1 ½ T balsamic vinegar
1-2 cloves garlic, minced


Grease 13 x 9 x 2 inch glass baking dish. Heat ½ T oil in heavy large Dutch oven over high heat. Add chard and sauté until wilted. Transfer chard to coloander and drain well, pressing on chard with back of spoon to release liquid.

Heat remaining ½ T oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add bell peppers and onion and sauté until tender, about 8 minutes. Mix in chard and toss to combine. Mix in vinegar & garlic. Then mix in half of each cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon into prepared dish. Overlap tomato slices atop vegetable mixture, covering completely. Season tomatoes with salt and pepper. Sprinkle remaining cheeses over. Cover with foil.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake casserole until heated through, about 40 minutes. Uncover; bake until top begins to brown, about 10 minutes more.

8 to 10 Side-Dish Servings




Also, here is a thread that I posted with mixed greens, and is SOOOOO delicious!!! I mean it.

http://www.cookinglight.com/vbb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12374&highlight=cheese+polenta

[mightyh]

I don't eat kale all that often, but when I do it's in this recipe and I really like it.

This sandwich is so filling! I got it from CL, but not sure what issue. It's an eat it with a fork sandwich cause the veggie/bean mixture kind of soaks through the bread....

Cannellini Beans and Greens on Garlic Toast

3 c. water
12 c. torn kale
1 tsp. olive oil
1 1/2 c. finely chopped onion
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 c. diced plum tomato (could use canned)
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can white beans, rinsed and drained
1 garlic clove, halved
4 slices country or peasant bread, toasted
3/4 c. grated parmesan

1. Boil water. Add kale. Cook 6 minutes or until tender. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1 c. liquid.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and oregano. Saute 5 minutes. Add tomato, salt, red pepper, and minced garlic. Saute 1 minute. Stir in kale, reserved liquid, and beans. Cook 3 minutes.

3. Rub garlic halves on one side of each toast slice. Place toast slices, garlic side up, on 4 plates. Sprinkle each with 2 Tb. cheese. Top each with 1 c. bean mixture and 1 Tb. cheese.

Serves 4.

[Grace]

Wow - as usual, I knew I came to the right place. Thank you everyone for all your wonderful suggestions!!

Jennett - I would love the Greek Phyllo Pie recipe - that one sounds like it could be a real winner!! Thank you for offering to post it for me.

Em - FANTASTIC idea - I LOVE bleu cheese, and since the kale is such a strong taste, I think the strong cheese would stand up well with it. I will definitely try your idea too. THANK YOU!

Nancy171 - I don't remember the Pork, Kale and Bok Choy stir fry recipe - but I definitely have my March 2000 issue, so I will go back in search of that. I have recently discovered the joys of fresh bok choy, and am LOVING that stuff already, so I think the combo with the kale might be a real winner. Thanks for pointing out that one for me!

Little Bit - I hadn't thought of trying it in a canned form - I don't know whether we "yankees" have it up here, but I will definitely look for it next time I'm at the store!

Jeanne G - What can I say - you are a GODDESS!! I'm definitely going to try your recipes. They look fantastic. Thank you, thank you.

mightyh - I saw that recipe posted before, and it was one of the ones that didn't excite me, only because I'm not wild about cannellini beans, and it looked very heavy to me. The flavors themselves look good, but it's more of a textural thing that I am imagining that is not appealing. I bet though that if someone made it and brought it to my supper club, I'd probably think it was the greatest recipe ever - it happens to me all the time - go figure!! But I appreciate your input.

Thanks again everyone, and if anyone else out there has the "winning" kale recipe - my printer still has plenty of paper and ink!

Just as an aside - part of the reason I am trying to like kale so much is because I bought a "share" of a community supported agriculture farm - every week I get a 3/4 bushel box full of fresh organic veggies, kale among them (it's also how I got my first bunch of fresh bok choy that was out of this world). So knowing I will continue to get kale in the box each week, and also knowing what a nutritional powerhouse it is, I really didn't want to throw it away or give it away. I want to look forward to that big bunch of organic kale that I'll be getting every week!

[Jennett]

2 c. water
11 c. chopped kale (about 1 lb)
10 c. chopped Swiss chard (about 1 1/2 lbs) (I guess it's heavier!)
1 ta. olive oil, divided
2 c. chopped onion
1 c. chopped fennel bulb
2/3 c. hot cooked long-grain rice
1-2 ta. chopped fresh or 1 te. dried mint
1/2 te. salt
1/4 te. ground nutmeg
1/8 te. ground red pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 large egg whites
1 (12 0z) carton 1% low-fat cottage cheese
1 (4 oz) package crumbled feta
11 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
cooking spray

1. Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a Dutch oven. Add kale; cover and cook 4 minutes. Stir in Swiss chard; cover and cook 3 minutes. Drain well and cool. Place greens on paper towels, and squeeze until barely moist. Place in bowl and set aside.
2. Heat 2 te. olive oil in pan over medium heat. Add onion and fennel; saute 10 minutes or until soft. Stir onion mixture, rice, and next 8 ingredients (rice through feta) into greens. Set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 350.
4. Gently press 1 sheet phyllo into an 11-inch round removable-bottom tart pan; lightly coat with cooking spray. Place second sheet of phyllo over first to form crisscross design; lightly coat with cooking spray. Repeat procedure with 5 sheets of phyllo and cooking spray, pressing sheets down into pan. Spoon greens mixture over phyllo in pan. Cover greens with 1 sheet phyllo, continuing crisscross design; lightly coat with cooking spray. Repeat procedure with 2 sheets of phyllo and cooking spray. Fold in edges of phyllo to fit pan and form a rim. Brush with 1 te. olive oil. Cut 5 slits in top to vent. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Yield: 10 servings.
Calories: 209 (29% from fat); Fat: 6.7 g; Protein: 12 g; Carb: 26.8 g; Fiber: 2 g; Chol: 12 mg; Iron: 3.2 mg; Sodium: 665 mg; Calc: 195 mg.

[Ohioan]

Grace -- and others who have problems with kale -- if it's mostly the texture that turns you off, I have two suggestions:

1. Try a different variety of kale. Lacinato kale (sometimes called dinosaur kale) is a more tender version, with a kind of "quilted" texture and without the stiff ruffly edges. I find it a softer chew than the other kales.

2. Cook the kale longer than most of the instructions I see here. I usually figure about the same cooking time as collard greens -- about a half hour, and definitely not a mere 6 minutes!:p

I just had a big slurpy bowl of lacinato kale for dinner tonight, cooked with lots of garlic, and as one of the benefits of living alone, I was able to upend the bowl at the end and drink the remaining kale-and-garlic nectar. Ah, the haunting fragrance ... ah, the decadence...

Cheers,
Phoebe

[Grace]

ROTFLMAO!!!! Phoebe, you CRACK me up!!! Thanks for the lovely visual ("scentual"???????!!! :D ), and the great advice too. I will look for the other variety of kale. And I'm very glad you mentioned the cooking time - it seems as though it's still very strong and tough and crunchy at the short cooking times. I will try cooking it longer, to mellow it out a little....

And I live with a guy and two dogs - I can get away with "uncouth" table manners myself - now, I just need to know (to finish my visual....) did you let out a loud BELCH when you put your bowl down, before you pushed yourself away from the table!???!!! (hee hee - just kidding!)

Still giggling,
Grace

[SusanL]

Phoebe, but I have to wait until DH leaves the kitchen!! How could you waste that delicious broth!!

Grace, one thought I had was that I tear the leaves off the hard stems, so that I only have the most tender part of the kale. DH hates the stem, I don't mind, but if I want to continue to eat kale, I tear. Would that help? (I did sautee the stems first, then added the softer parts but DH complained that he did not care for the stems.) We are addicted to our kale at least two times a week, substituting spinach and swiss chard for the other nights.

[luckylori]

Hi, I'm new to the board, and your thread reminded me of an old Cooking Light recipe that's one of my favorites. It's simple, yet quite good:

Fusilli w/ Kale & Roasted Garlic

1 whole head garlic (see, how could it NOT be good?!)
10 oz.pkg.kale (already washed) or use about 1 lb.kale
3 quarts water (12 cups)
1 (10 1/4 oz.) can low salt chicken broth
3 c. uncooked fusilli (I usually use rotini)
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp.crushed red pepper
1/2 c. (2 oz.) fresh Parmesan

Preheat oven (or toaster oven) to 350. Remove skin from garlic and separate into cloves. Wrap garlic in foil. Bake 30 min. or until tender. Set aside.
Remove stems from kale & wash thoroughly. Coarsely chop. Meanwhile combine water & broth in large Dutch oven. Bring to a boil. Add kale. Cook 5 min. or until tender. Drain-reserving cooking liquid. Return liquid to pot...bring to a boil. Add pasta. Cook 8 min. or until tender. Drain pasta, reserving 3 Tbsp. liquid. Combine pasta, the 3 Tbsp. liquid, kale, roasted garlic cloves (chopped), oil, salt & pepper. Toss. Sprinkle w/cheese.

Note: When I make this, I usually add more of the cooking liquid than 3 Tbsp.

[lindrusso]

I'd like to second JeanneG's suggestion for the White Cheddar Polenta. After seeing her post on this recipe, I decided to give it a try. I couldn't find swiss chard, so I substituted the Kale as Jeanne suggested and it was wonderful! It tasted just as good, if not better, the next day. I also substituted the Sharp Provolone as Jeanne did, because I happened to have it on hand. YUMMY!

I have tried Kale in a recipe that basically calls for wilting it. Though I liked it, I did find the "ruffled edges" a bit disconcerting. When I made the polenta dish, I cooked the Kale first, and then added the Spinach. The extra cooking time for the Kale was just the ticket - much more edible!

I can't wait to make this again, it was soo good and the polenta is such a comforting food!

[Peggy]

Grace,

My repertoire of kale recipe is very small... as in ONE ! Unfortunately, it is the Honey Mustard Pork Tenderloin with Kale recipe from March 1999. Apparently, you have already tried it and it wasn't a winner for you. We love it here! I do cook the kale a lot longer than the recipe states. Something about the combination of the kale and the mustard and honey does it for me. I probably will never be big fan of kale. Too bad, because it is so good for you. Good Luck!

Peggy