Seasonal Eats: A Tale of Kale

Tuscan or Lacinato Kale (Heather Parlato/LAist)

Tuscan or Lacinato Kale (Heather Parlato/LAist)
I wasn’t raised eating kale, so when I discovered it in my 20s, I didn’t have much of an idea what to do with it, and left it on the shelf in favor of more familiar greens [back when I shopped in places with shelves]. It’s gone from being something I never heard of as a kid to a go-to green I absolutely love, so if you’re lost somewhere along that spectrum, maybe I can help you make it your valentine this year.

Kale is a member of the brassica family, another cousin of cabbage, and is a particularly healthy food to add to your diet. It’s almost non-seasonal since it’s available nearly year-round, though the leaves are a lot thinner and smaller in summer [this makes it a great thing to grow in partial shade in your garden]. Kale is considered to be highly anti-inflammatory for containing sulforaphane even when cooked [though boiling is said to reduce it quite a bit]. Kale also contains indole-3-carbinol which “appears to block cancer cells” and encourage dna repair in damaged cells. Though this is unconfirmed, I think it’s reason enough to let it in the kitchen [see nutritionist & cancer survivor Diana Dyer’s 365 days of kale blog], but if you need more encouragement, kale has a glycemic load of 3, and is a great source of Dietary Fiber, Protein, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Folate, Iron, Magnesium and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.

A common first impression of kale is that it’s too tough to eat raw, so what does one do with it? Many recipes will tell you to cut out the main stem, which is a good way to prepare leaves for eating raw [but you can save those stems for a good stir fry, like recipe i'm sharing this week, below]. A great kale salad can start by cutting the leaves down to quarter-inch ribbons and dress it in oil & white wine or balsamic vinegar. Add a dried fruit [raisin, currant, cranberry or cherry], a nut [pine nuts, slivered almonds, toasted walnuts], and a cheese [feta, gorgonzola, parmesan] and right there are a handful of tasty combos that allow you to maximize the nutrients in raw kale. Here are some ideas I really like: lacinato kale and ricotta salad, kale salad with pine nuts, currants and parmesan, orkale caesar salad with anchovies!

If you’re cutting out the main stem for raw preparations, consider leaving it in for cooked recpies, and either pre-steam cut pieces, or extend cooking time a bit for whole leaves. Sometimes covering and simmering on low heat for a few minutes will get you the texture you’re looking for, but do consider eating the whole leaf. Just think of all the things you could be doing instead of cutting free food out of your food!

Kale has a long history in European diets for its winter hardiness, so if you’re looking for a simple, traditional preparation, look no further than the Italian preparation of sautéing whole leaves in olive oil, garlic & lemon as a side dish. For more great braising ideas, start with this simple sautéed kale, or try braised tuscan kale with pancetta and caramelized onions.

Though it’s a leaf that eats like a meal, kale is also a great stand-up addition to hearty soups and stews, often paired with sausage, potatoes or beans — or all 3! Such as kale and cannellini soup, smoked sausage, kale and potato soup, or kick it up a notch with emeril's kale and chorizo soup.

Some of the more interesting uses for kale i found include these delicious kale & black bean tacos, and a couple Italian-style combinations with grains such as risotto with kale and toasted pumpkin seeds and warm farro with winter vegetables. Thought it's not a grain, i like to chop up kale and add it to quinoa right off the stove, using the heat to wilt the leaf with a vinaigrette dressing. What about these yummy homemade seasoned kale pockets! I would not have thought of making this creamy potato & kale puree, and did someone say kale and leek flan? Normally I would say no, nobody said that, but someone actually did. Finally, kale chips seem to be the new snack du jour, and I think I found the simplest prep for them: tuscan kale chips.

I do love a good kale breakfast, and though a frittata is not merely a breakfast food, it tends to be what I do when I have lots of veggies and herbs to throw in. Here are 2 that I think look great: potato and kale frittata and kale, onion & cheddar frittata. My own favorite kale breakfast is more of a sesame-almond stir fry I made up. I liked it so much, that I started making it a couple times per week, so I’ll share it here.

Kale Shiitake Stir Fry (Heather Parlato/LAist)
Kale Shiitake Stir Fry [serves 2]

1 bunch lacinato / tuscan kale

1 inch ginger root, peeled & cut into matchstick slices

1 onion, sliced crosswise and quartered lengthwise

1 cup raw shiitake mushrooms

2 garlic cloves, minced

juice and zest of 1 lemon

1 tb sesame oil

1 tb rice vinegar

1 tb soy sauce

1/3 cup sliced toasted almonds

1 tb toasted sesame seeds

salt & pepper to taste [this is a great time for mixed citrus salt & pepper]

Zest the lemon and set zest aside for later. Add the oil, vinegar, lemon juice and soy sauce to an empty frying pan, turn on high heat, and place the onion and ginger in the pan. Sauté a couple minutes, tossing to coat.

Cut the stem part of your bunch of kale crosswise into 1” strips, up to where the leaves broaden from the stem. Add these to the frying pan, add a splash of water, cover and simmer on low heat 3 minutes.

Uncover, add the garlic and mushrooms, and toss again to coat. Cut the remaining kale leaves crosswise into half-inch strips and add to the frying pan, cover and simmer on low for another 3 minutes. What you’re looking for is moderately steamed kale leaves that have turned a deep, bright green color.

Uncover, add the toasted almonds and lemon zest, and toss everything to mix through. Spoon into 2 serving dishes and top with sesame seeds, salt & pepper.