What do I do with kale?

Question

Don't have a steamer. Don't like doing a lot of work. Have 2 bags of kale (courtesy of local farmers market which needed someone to take what was left at end of the day). What do I do? Back in the spinach days, I used to sautee spinach with garlic and pine nuts. Would the same work with kale? Any other ideas? Thanks

Answer 1

brown some bacon and onion, then a bit of butter, the kale.if tough stalks, either remove, or cut up and begin to saute first, then the leaves.

Answer 2

Yes.. you can.. Kale is slightly more bitter than spinach.... but you can use many of the same recipes as spinach.. I personally prefer it sauteed by itself with a little salt... But that just because I am a slacker in the kitchen...

Answer 3

as kale is a bit tough i cook with vinegar salt pork and onions and s & p ....and some liquid smoke and simmer all day long...you can use pigs feet or ham hocks also....and some hot sauce if you want

Answer 4

Caldo Verde
(Portuguese Potato Kale Soup)

Caldo verde, literally “green soup,” is a robust, incredibly satisfying concoction of kale, garlic and smoky meats in a silky puréed potato soup base. Served with a loaf of Portuguese bread, it makes a meal. Linguiça is a Portuguese garlic sausage that can be found in many supermarkets and Latin American markets.

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 leek, white and light green part, diced (about 3/4 cup)
1/2 onion, diced (about 3/4 cup)
1/2 celery stalk, diced (about 1/4 cup)
5 cups chicken broth
4 russet potatoes, peeled, cut in sixths
1 smoked ham hock
1/4 pound fresh kale (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 ounces linguiça sausage, diced (about 1/2 link)
1/2 bay leaf
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preparation:

Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the leek, onion and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, 4 to 6 minutes.

Add the broth, potatoes and ham hock. Bring to simmer and cook until all are very tender, about 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Use a paring knife to cut the tough stems away from the kale leaves. Blanch the kale in the boiling water until it wilts, about 3 minutes. Drain the kale, run it under cold water to stop the cooking and drain again. Slice the kale into thin shreds.

Remove the ham hock from the soup base. Purée the soup base and return to a simmer.

When cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the ham hock and dice. Add the ham hock meat, sliced kale, sausage and bay leaf to the soup base. Season to taste with salt and pepper and simmer 15 to 20 minutes longer. Serve in heated bowls.



Potato Soup with Kale and Bacon

Ingredients

(1 servings)

2 lb Boiling potatoes
3/4 lb Bacon
1 lb Kale
2 Cloves garlic
Salt and pepper
1 c Heavy cream
Chicken stock as necessary
5 ts Balsamic vinegar
1 Bunch chives
Diced green onion tops/botto


Instructions

Peel potatoes and put in a pot with cold, salted water to cover. Cover pot and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, uncover, and cook until done, about 25 minutes. Drain, reserving cooking liquid. Break up the potatoes with a potato masher (they should be quite lumpy, not smooth). Meanwhile, cook the bacon over low heat until crisp, turning often. Drain and chop into 1/2 inch chunks. Pour off all but 2 TBS of the bacon fat, and, reserve extra fat. Stem and chop the kale. Mince the garlic. Put half the kale and half the garlic into the frying pan. Season with salt and pepper and cook over medium heat until kale is wilted, about 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat using more bacon fat as needed. Return all kale to the fry pan and add the heavy cream. Simmer over very low heat until the kale is tender, about 10 more minutes. Combine potatoes with about 3 cups of the potato cooking liquid and 1 cup of the chicken stock. Add more stock if needed to get a good consistency. Add kale mixture (with the bacon) to the pot and bring to a simmer. Season to taste with the vinegar and salt and pepper. This is up to you as to how much vinegar you use. Mince the chives or green onions and place in an extra bowl to top the soup. I hope you find this excellent soup. It is great this time of year as it is much like a warm German Potato salad.



Braised Kale & Red Potatoes
Yield: 5 Servings

Ingredients

6 c kale; 1 pound * see note
coarsely chopped
1 lb red potatoes; cubed
1 c water
1/2 ts salt
1 ts vegetable oil
1/4 ts crushed red pepper
3 cloves garlic; thinly sliced

Instructions

Combine first 4 ingredients in a skillet; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce
heat to
medium, and cook 10 minutes. Uncover; cook over high heat until water
evaporates. Spoon kale mixture into a bowl; set aside, and keep warm. Heat
oil
in skillet over medium-low heat. Add pepper and garlic; saute 3 minutes.
Spoon
over vegetables; toss.

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NOTES : Substitute collard greens for kale, if desired.

Answer 5

Use it as a garnish