1 generous pound Lacinato kale
1 x-large tart/sweet apple such as Stayman Winsap, Black Twig, Arkansas Black, or Pink Beauty
Arils from 1 x-large Pomegranate
About 1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano
Dressing (below)
Croutons (below)
Remove the ribs from the kale, stack them and cut the leaves crosswise into 1/4-inch julienne.
Cut the apple into quarters, remove the cores, cut into thin slices (a mandoline is helpful) then stack the slices and cut them into a fine julienne. Toss with some lemon juice or some of the dressing to keep them from browning.
Toss the kale with the apple, most of the pomegranate arils, the Parmigiano, and as much dressing as desired. Scatter the remaining pomegranate over the top and serve.
Dressing:
8 cloves or more of confited garlic
salt to taste
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Juice of 1/2 large lemon
Generous grindings of black pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Mash the garlic cloves with some salt to a puree, whisk in the rest of the ingredients.
Croutons:
Whole grain sourdough bread
Oil from garlic confit
Finely grated Parmigiano
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Cut the bread into cubes about 3/4-inch large (you need not remove the crusts). Toss with the garlic oil and some grated Parmigiano. Spread on a parchment lined baking sheet and sprinkle with more Parmigiano, don't worry about the cheese on the parchment it will become crunchy and delicious. Bake for 12 to 18 minutes, depending on how rustic the bread is, until the croutons are starting to brown, crunchy on the outside but still give in the center. Use as soon as possible or they lose their crunch.
Serves 4.
Showing posts with label Kale. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kale. Show all posts
Kale Chips
I like to us the more mature and sturdy leaves for this method of preparing kale.
8 oz. Lacinato kale, aka Tuscan kale, Dino kale, Cavolo Nero
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt or truffle salt to taste or other flavored salt
Optional - pepper flakes, black pepper
Preheat the oven to 300°. Wash the kale in 2 or 3 changes of water, inspecting for critters. Cut away the mid ribs and tear the kale into bite sized pieces. Alternatively, you can leave the leaf halves intact. Toss the kale with the olive oil to coat the leaves well. Arrange the kale on a large baking sheet, they can overlap some but don't pile them in the center of the sheet. Bake for 30 minutes until crispy. Toss with salt to taste and pile in a bowl to serve right away. If the leaf halves were left intact, they can be served standing upright in a tall container.
8 oz. Lacinato kale, aka Tuscan kale, Dino kale, Cavolo Nero
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt or truffle salt to taste or other flavored salt
Optional - pepper flakes, black pepper
Preheat the oven to 300°. Wash the kale in 2 or 3 changes of water, inspecting for critters. Cut away the mid ribs and tear the kale into bite sized pieces. Alternatively, you can leave the leaf halves intact. Toss the kale with the olive oil to coat the leaves well. Arrange the kale on a large baking sheet, they can overlap some but don't pile them in the center of the sheet. Bake for 30 minutes until crispy. Toss with salt to taste and pile in a bowl to serve right away. If the leaf halves were left intact, they can be served standing upright in a tall container.
Kale Caesar Salad
I had my first Kale Caesar Salad at Cafe Rouge in Berkeley earlier this year and loved every bite of it. I vowed to myself that I would make something similar at home but I waited ever so many months to do so until I harvested the first Lacinato kale from my own garden. One of the things that I loved about Cafe Rouge's version of the salad was the texture which was the result of finely shredding the kale rather than tearing or cutting the leaves into larger pieces. It has been too long to accurately remember the flavor of the Cafe Rouge salad so I cannot say that this is a replication of that salad, but it turned out to be just what I wanted, no need to fiddle around with the recipe, this it IT.
1 pound very fresh Lacinato kale, preferably not too mature and tough
Juice of half a lemon (standard lemon, not Meyer)
1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced
2 anchovy filets (preferably salt packed, rinsed), minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 egg yolk
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Dash of hot sauce (Caribe)
1/2 cup or your favorite extra virgin olive oil (McEvoy Ranch is mine)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano, plus additional
Generous grinding of black pepper
Your favorite crunchy croutons (homemade whole wheat garlic for me)
Boquerones (Spanish marinated anchovies), optional
Wash the kale in 2 or 3 changes of water, inspecting thoroughly for aphids and caterpillars. Cut out the mid ribs. Stack the kale leaf halves in batches and then slice them crosswise into short julienne (the width of the leaf halves) about 1/4-inch or so wide. Place in a large mixing bowl.
Combine the lemon juice, garlic, anchovy, mustard, egg yolk, Worcestershire, and hot sauce in a mixing bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil to create a thick emulsified dressing.
Pour all the dressing over the kale and toss well, add all of the Parmigiano and as much freshly ground black pepper as you desire and toss to mix thoroughly. At this point you can toss in the croutons or save them to scatter on top of the salad. Serve immediately or, one of the beauties of this salad if you don't add the croutons right away, refrigerate to serve later.
Serve with a sprinkle of Parmigiano, more freshly ground black pepper, croutons, and the optional Boquerones draped over the top.
We had this salad for dinner (as dinner, not as a side salad) and ended up with leftovers which were refrigerated overnight and were delicious for lunch the next day. There wasn't enough to save past lunch but I suspect that it would have kept well even a bit longer.
1 pound very fresh Lacinato kale, preferably not too mature and tough
Juice of half a lemon (standard lemon, not Meyer)
1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced
2 anchovy filets (preferably salt packed, rinsed), minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 egg yolk
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Dash of hot sauce (Caribe)
1/2 cup or your favorite extra virgin olive oil (McEvoy Ranch is mine)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano, plus additional
Generous grinding of black pepper
Your favorite crunchy croutons (homemade whole wheat garlic for me)
Boquerones (Spanish marinated anchovies), optional
Wash the kale in 2 or 3 changes of water, inspecting thoroughly for aphids and caterpillars. Cut out the mid ribs. Stack the kale leaf halves in batches and then slice them crosswise into short julienne (the width of the leaf halves) about 1/4-inch or so wide. Place in a large mixing bowl.
Combine the lemon juice, garlic, anchovy, mustard, egg yolk, Worcestershire, and hot sauce in a mixing bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil to create a thick emulsified dressing.
Pour all the dressing over the kale and toss well, add all of the Parmigiano and as much freshly ground black pepper as you desire and toss to mix thoroughly. At this point you can toss in the croutons or save them to scatter on top of the salad. Serve immediately or, one of the beauties of this salad if you don't add the croutons right away, refrigerate to serve later.
Serve with a sprinkle of Parmigiano, more freshly ground black pepper, croutons, and the optional Boquerones draped over the top.
We had this salad for dinner (as dinner, not as a side salad) and ended up with leftovers which were refrigerated overnight and were delicious for lunch the next day. There wasn't enough to save past lunch but I suspect that it would have kept well even a bit longer.
Kale on Garlic Toast, Two Ways
Prepare a pound or more of well washed kale by removing the center ribs and tearing the kale into 2-inch long pieces (more or less).
Bring about 2 quarts of water to a boil and add salt to taste. Add the kale to the pot, return to a boil, then turn down to a strong simmer and cook for 25 to 30 minutes (yes, that long!).
While the kale is cooking, toast 4 to 8 slices of country bread (depending on the size of the loaf) into fairly thick slices. Toast the slices of bread and then rub the bread with a peeled clove of garlic.
When the kale is done, drain it well (reserve the cooking water for the recipe variation) and pile the leaves on the pieces of toast. Season with salt and fresh ground pepper to taste and then drizzle with a generous amount of your favorite extra virgin olive oil.
Makes a very tasty appetizer or first course!
Variation: Put the garlic rubbed toast into a warmed wide shallow soup bowl. Pile on the kale. Ladle in anywhere from a few tablespoons to a half cup or more of the kale cooking water. Season with salt and fresh ground pepper and drizzle generously with extra virgin olive oil.
And yet one more take on variation number one. Skip the part about bringing 2 quarts of water to a boil. If you have a pressure cooker, put about a half cup of water in there (or the minimum your cooker needs to come up to pressure). Put the kale into the cooker in a steamer basket. Bring the cooker up to full pressure and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Release the pressure using the appropriate quick release method for your cooker. Proceed with the recipe.
I also like to add chopped Nero di Toscana kale to long simmering soups. It's great with garbanzo beans (chickpeas) also.
Bring about 2 quarts of water to a boil and add salt to taste. Add the kale to the pot, return to a boil, then turn down to a strong simmer and cook for 25 to 30 minutes (yes, that long!).
While the kale is cooking, toast 4 to 8 slices of country bread (depending on the size of the loaf) into fairly thick slices. Toast the slices of bread and then rub the bread with a peeled clove of garlic.
When the kale is done, drain it well (reserve the cooking water for the recipe variation) and pile the leaves on the pieces of toast. Season with salt and fresh ground pepper to taste and then drizzle with a generous amount of your favorite extra virgin olive oil.
Makes a very tasty appetizer or first course!
Variation: Put the garlic rubbed toast into a warmed wide shallow soup bowl. Pile on the kale. Ladle in anywhere from a few tablespoons to a half cup or more of the kale cooking water. Season with salt and fresh ground pepper and drizzle generously with extra virgin olive oil.
And yet one more take on variation number one. Skip the part about bringing 2 quarts of water to a boil. If you have a pressure cooker, put about a half cup of water in there (or the minimum your cooker needs to come up to pressure). Put the kale into the cooker in a steamer basket. Bring the cooker up to full pressure and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Release the pressure using the appropriate quick release method for your cooker. Proceed with the recipe.
I also like to add chopped Nero di Toscana kale to long simmering soups. It's great with garbanzo beans (chickpeas) also.
Cavolo Nero and Chickpea Soup
1/2 pound dried chickpeas, presoaked
2 small true bay leaves
2 small branches fresh thyme
2 1/2 ounces guanciale or pancetta or bacon, cut into lardons
olive oil as needed
1 large sweet onion, chopped
2 or more cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pound fresh tomatoes, peeled and pureed or about 2 cups tomato puree
1 pound Cavolo Nero kale, ribs removed and torn into bite size pieces
1 or more cups of diced roasted chicken (or leftover meat or poultry of your choice)
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil for drizzling
In a 5 quart pressure cooker, add water to cover the presoaked chickpeas by at least 2 inches. Add the bay leaves and whole thyme branches to the pot. Cover and bring up to high pressure, adjust the heat to maintain pressure and cook for 10 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally (let it sit off the heat).
While the chickpeas are cooking, saute the tasty salted pig parts in some olive oil over medium heat until they start to crisp. Add the onion and garlic and continue to cook until the onion is translucent. Add the tomato puree and cook a few minutes more. Add the kale and toss. Remove from the heat and set aside.
The chickpeas should be nearly tender, if not cook some more, under pressure a few more minutes or cover the cooker with the lid not locked in place. If the beans are old it may take much longer. For the next step the beans should be nearly tender but not falling apart.
Add the contents of the saute pan to the cooker, stir it in and add enough water to cover everthing generously but not so much that you can't bring the cooker up to pressure again. (I used at least 2 quarts of water in total but didn't measure so I can't specify). Lock lid in place and bring up to high pressure again, adjust the heat to maintain pressure and cook another 5 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally. The chickpeas should now be falling apart tender and the kale quite tender as well. Use a potato masher to mash the chickpeas to a chunky puree right in the cooker. Stir in the diced chicken. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a generous drizzle of your favorite olive oil (I used McEvoy's Olio Nuovo).
2 small true bay leaves
2 small branches fresh thyme
2 1/2 ounces guanciale or pancetta or bacon, cut into lardons
olive oil as needed
1 large sweet onion, chopped
2 or more cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pound fresh tomatoes, peeled and pureed or about 2 cups tomato puree
1 pound Cavolo Nero kale, ribs removed and torn into bite size pieces
1 or more cups of diced roasted chicken (or leftover meat or poultry of your choice)
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil for drizzling
In a 5 quart pressure cooker, add water to cover the presoaked chickpeas by at least 2 inches. Add the bay leaves and whole thyme branches to the pot. Cover and bring up to high pressure, adjust the heat to maintain pressure and cook for 10 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally (let it sit off the heat).
While the chickpeas are cooking, saute the tasty salted pig parts in some olive oil over medium heat until they start to crisp. Add the onion and garlic and continue to cook until the onion is translucent. Add the tomato puree and cook a few minutes more. Add the kale and toss. Remove from the heat and set aside.
The chickpeas should be nearly tender, if not cook some more, under pressure a few more minutes or cover the cooker with the lid not locked in place. If the beans are old it may take much longer. For the next step the beans should be nearly tender but not falling apart.
Add the contents of the saute pan to the cooker, stir it in and add enough water to cover everthing generously but not so much that you can't bring the cooker up to pressure again. (I used at least 2 quarts of water in total but didn't measure so I can't specify). Lock lid in place and bring up to high pressure again, adjust the heat to maintain pressure and cook another 5 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally. The chickpeas should now be falling apart tender and the kale quite tender as well. Use a potato masher to mash the chickpeas to a chunky puree right in the cooker. Stir in the diced chicken. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a generous drizzle of your favorite olive oil (I used McEvoy's Olio Nuovo).
Potato and Kale Pizza
Your favorite dough for one thin crust pizza
2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, very thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
Olive oil
Salt
8 large leaves Cavolo Nero kale, deribbed and torn into large pieces
3 cloves firm roasted garlic, thinly sliced (I used leftover cloves from the previous night's roasted chicken
More olive oil
1 cup coarsely grated Gruyere
Parmigiano
Truffle Oil (to guild the lily)
Toss the sliced potatoes and minced garlic with enough olive oil to lightly coat all (about a tablespoon). Arrange the potato slices on a baking sheet and lightly sprinkle with salt. Roast in a very hot oven until softened but not brown. Set aside. (The peeled garlic cloves for the kale can be roasted with the potatoes).
Steam the kale until tender (2 minutes in a pressure cooker). Let cool, then squeeze by handfuls to remove excess liquid. Coarsely chop and then toss with the sliced garlic and a little olive oil. Set aside.
Roll or stretch the pizza dough into a 10-inch round. Drizzle the dough with a little olive oil and brush it evenly over the surface with your fingers. Sprinkle the grated Gruyere evenly over the dough. Arrange the potato slices evenly without overlapping over the surface of the pizza. Top with the chopped kale.
Bake on a preheated pizza stone at the hottest temperature your oven can manage. Sprinkle with a dusting of parmigiano and drizzle with a bit of truffle oil before slicing.
Enjoy!
2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, very thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
Olive oil
Salt
8 large leaves Cavolo Nero kale, deribbed and torn into large pieces
3 cloves firm roasted garlic, thinly sliced (I used leftover cloves from the previous night's roasted chicken
More olive oil
1 cup coarsely grated Gruyere
Parmigiano
Truffle Oil (to guild the lily)
Toss the sliced potatoes and minced garlic with enough olive oil to lightly coat all (about a tablespoon). Arrange the potato slices on a baking sheet and lightly sprinkle with salt. Roast in a very hot oven until softened but not brown. Set aside. (The peeled garlic cloves for the kale can be roasted with the potatoes).
Steam the kale until tender (2 minutes in a pressure cooker). Let cool, then squeeze by handfuls to remove excess liquid. Coarsely chop and then toss with the sliced garlic and a little olive oil. Set aside.
Roll or stretch the pizza dough into a 10-inch round. Drizzle the dough with a little olive oil and brush it evenly over the surface with your fingers. Sprinkle the grated Gruyere evenly over the dough. Arrange the potato slices evenly without overlapping over the surface of the pizza. Top with the chopped kale.
Bake on a preheated pizza stone at the hottest temperature your oven can manage. Sprinkle with a dusting of parmigiano and drizzle with a bit of truffle oil before slicing.
Enjoy!
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