Like my husband and I, I would imagine that there are an uncountable number of people out there that have never tried kale.
They look at the bunches of curly greens in the grocery store and wonder just what you do with it.
So, I'm going to tell you.
I buy a big bunch of it and then take it to the sink and pull the leaves away from the stems. Just tear it off from the center stem and throw the stems away... *or microwave/steam and give the stems to your puppy dogs... ours LOVE it!*
IF you are feeding 2-4 people then the entire bunch should fill a large bowl prior to cooking.
Rinse all of the leaves you have torn from the stems. Drain off water.
Now put a small amount of olive oil in a LARGE frying pan.
Place a tsp of powdered chicken broth into a third of a cup of water in a small bowl, then take a fork and whisk it the best you can... OR, use liquid broth if you prefer.
We dice up one clove of garlic and cook it in the olive oil until barely brown.
If you brown it too much it may burn after the kale is added (don't add kale just yet)
Once the garlic is barely brown, pour the whisked water and broth mixture in with the garlic.
*stand back because it splashes up like crazy*
I keep the pan lid handy and hold it over the pan as I pour the mixture in so as not to get splashed by the burning oil and sizzling water.
This photo does not show it, but immediately after adding the water/broth mixture into the pan, place ALL of the kale into the frying pan, and with a large utensil turn it all over a few times so that all kale is coated with the garlic, water and broth in the pan, then cover with a lid, turn down heat and just let it simmer a few minutes, turning the kale every minute.
You don't want it to get too soft or slimy like it was a served in the school cafeteria when I grew up... well, they served spinach rather than kale, but it was a slimy mess.
Leave it with just a wee bit of a crunch, then take it from the heat and serve immediately.
I eat so much that I barely have room in my tummy for anything else, but we generally serve this as a side with grilled chicken or pork chop.
Quite tasty.
Hope this is helpful to you first time kale eaters.
XOX
If you have cooked kale before and have an easy prep or cooking method please share.
This is simply the method that works best for us.
Well thank you very much!
ReplyDeleteA step by step provided by you and I/we will try a Kale first!
Happy Thanksgiving "Pepper . . ."
Hi Diane! Susan here. I suppose you noticed (or maybe not) that I left FB. I think this time for good. I had a heck of a time finding you, but finally thought about looking on Google+, and there you were! Yay! Is this your only blog now?
ReplyDeleteAnyhoo, my husband and I love kale. I think it's marvelous that you can buy organic kale at Kroger for $.99/pound. We eat a lot of it, and I cook mine similarly to yours, although I leave off the garlic, as David is kinda sensitive to it. My mom taught me a trick to keep it from tasting bitter. If you pre-steam it in a small amount of water just until it wilts, then pour off that water and add the chicken broth to finish cooking, it takes away any bitterness. Some people don't mind that taste, though. I guess if you were doing it that way, you would have to do the garlic in another pan and add with the chicken broth.
When we lived in Baton Rouge, we had a compost pile out behind our fenced yard. After a couple of years of composting, David decided to sow some kale seed in it (we didn't have a veggie garden—too many trees.) We grew the most beautiful kale in that little bed. We were so excited, and often we would have a huge bowl of it for lunch on the weekend and nothing else. Our kids teased us and said they could tell we were getting old when we got that excited over green leafy vegetables. :)
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your David! xoxoxo