In Autumn A Not-So Young Man's Fancy Turns to...

[faustus]

Kale.

I learnt last year that to ignore this is bad, because it's only going to get chewier. Serving suggestions welcome - it may be helpful to know I also have:

calabrese (broccoli)
1/2 red cabbage
1/2 swede
tomatoes
onion
little gem lettuce
endless carrots
leek
red pepper

By tomorrow I'm likely to have some bacon and cheese, and imagine the Ready Steady Cook store cupboard of stock, spices, herbs, dried fruit, flours, sugar, red lentils, yellow split peas, mung beans... There are (defrostable) turkey bits and white fish if it's an accompaniment.

Edit: Nibb'lous suggests:
curly kale and chickpea balti
cavolo nero with rosemary and chilli
colcannon
dijon chicken stew with potatoes and kale

and:
curly kale stir fry with lentils
curly kale and potato risotto

kale pesto


I think maybe the balti, but I'm sure there's more kale to come.

Comments

[sam-t.livejournal.com]

I like swede best mashed with potato, but yesterday I invented a sort of swede and cheddar rosti (grate both, mix with pepper and a bit of flour, put in dry frying pan low heat with lid on until swede softened, take lid off & heat to medium until browned, flip and brown other side) which was pretty good.

I'm still getting the hang of kale because I keep forgetting that it's not savoy cabbage and not cooking it for long enough (or taking enough stalk out). It goes well with chorizo and garlic, though.

1)Stew-type thing: Soften chopped chorizo, onion, garlic; add tin tomatoes; simmer with kale until done.
2)Hash-type thing: Cook kale, potatoes (separately) until only just done. Squeeze kale, chop both. Soften onions in frying pan, add potatoes, kale, chorizo.
3)Side-dish-type thing: Shred kale, cook until just done; squeeze a bit; return to pan with a splash of olive oil and lots of sliced garlic; cook until garlic fragrant.

I might give the kale & chickpea balti a go soon, although I'll probably play with the spices a bit.

[drasecretcampus.livejournal.com]

I'm still getting the hang of kale because I keep forgetting that it's not savoy cabbage and not cooking it for long enough (or taking enough stalk out).

Clearly the instinct is to treat like cabbage or savoy (and the recipes seem to work along those lines). It is bitterer and chewier than both, especially if not dealt with the day you get it. And it gets a tag water logged.

Balti was fine - if not necessarily what I've regarded as balti (more to do with spices as a paste and the way in which they are added) - although I added butter beans rather than chickpeas.

Thanks for suggestions - I've not had luck with rosti, mind.

[sam-t.livejournal.com]

The cheese is cheating rather - so long as you don't burn it completely, it means that you're pretty much guaranteed to get something that sticks together and tastes good!