Kale Kale the gang's all here

Since it's the season where doorways, hallways and living rooms are decorated with greens, it's time to pull out the kale to keep the kitchen green. Kale is, after all, an ancient cold weather vegetable, a great source of sunshine on dark days. Cheap too. And it comes in several colors without or with curls.  So cozy up to some great kale recipes:

Steamed Clams with Fregola and Kale
If you can't find fregola, the tiny toasted Sardinian pasta balls, use their cousin Israeli couscous.
This should feed 4-6.

1 lb fregola
Juice of 3 lemons
1½ tbsp cold butter, cut into ¾” cubes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 pinch chilli flakes
1 c white wine
2¼lbs (1 kg) clams, scrubbed clean (discard any with open or damaged shells)
¾ lb kale, leaves pulled of the stems and finely chopped
1 handful parsley leaves, finely chopped

Bring a pan of salted water to a boil and cook the fregola, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t stick together, until al dente – about 12-15 minutes. Drain when cooked.

While the fregola cooks, put the lemon juice into a small saucepan and warm it up gently over a medium-low heat. Once warm, but not boiling, turn the heat to low and whisk in the butter, a couple of cubes at a time, stirring continuously until all of it has been incorporated. The mixture should now be the consistency of cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper and keep warm over a very low heat (or over a bain-marie).

Heat a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan on a medium flame, then fry the oil, garlic and chili flakes until the garlic just starts to color and smell fragrant. Pour in the wine, turn up the heat to high and leave to bubble for a minute or two, until the alcohol cooks off and the sauce reduces by half. Add the clams to the pot, sit the kale on top, cover the pan and cook for two minutes. Stir, then put back the lid and cook for another one to two minutes, until the clams have opened and the kale has wilted.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the clams and kale to warmed, shallow bowls, then return the pan with the cooking liquor to the heat and tip in the fregola. Stir it in briefly, just until the fregola has warmed through, then spoon over the clams with the cooking liquid. Dress with the warm, buttery lemon sauce, sprinkle with parsley and serve (discard any clams that do not open).

Warm Kale Salad with Coconut

Serves 4
cherry tomatoes 400g
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil, a drizzle
2 limes
1 bunch (about ¾ lb) green or purple kale 1 head (about 200g), stalks removed, leaves roughly torn into bite-size pieces
¼ c unsweetened shaved or desiccated coconut

1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari

 For the dressing
1” fresh ginger root, peeled and finely chopped
1 tbsp white miso paste

1 tbsp tahini

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp coconut or olive oil

1 red chlli, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 400º. Halve the tomatoes and place them on a baking tray with some salt and pepper, a good drizzle of olive oil, the zest of both limes and the juice of 1. Roast for 10 minutes. Pile on them the kale and coconut. Pour over the soy sauce and toss well until everything is coated. Roast in the oven with the tomatoes for 10 minutes, until crisp.

Mix all the dressing ingredients in a bowl with the juice of the second lime. Taste and add a little more seasoning or lime juice if needed, letting your taste buds guide you – remember the dressing will be less punchy once it hits the salad.

Pull the kale and tomatoes out of the oven and tumble them into a big bowl. Toss in the miso dressing, adding a little at a time and tasting as you go, and serve still warm.

Kale Gratin 
serves 4-6
Enough extra-virgin olive or butter to generously cover the bottom of a large pan
3 medium onions, halved and sliced thin
3 bunches of kale, you can mix the different kinds
4 cloves of garlic, smashed, peeled, and minced
Sea salt
1 pint heavy cream
4 ounces grated cheese, such as Parmigiano-Reggiano or Gruyère
Plenty of freshly ground black pepper

Place a large heavy-bottom pot over low-medium heat, add the onions, and let them sauté, stirring occasionally, until they are very soft.
Meanwhile, prep the greens. Remove the stems that run down the center by holding the leaf in one left hand and slicing down each side of the stem with a knife. By the time you're done, you'll have two piles: one of stems and one of leaves. Bunch the stems in a pile and slice them finely, crosswise. Set aside. Now chop the kale leaves and set them aside, too. The point of separating them is to give the stems a head start cooking, as they take a little longer.
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Now the onions should be soft. Add the chopped garlic and stir for a minute or so, until it has released its fragrance. Add the chopped stems and a pinch of salt, stir to mix them with the onions and garlic, and cover the pot. Let them cook for about five minutes, stirring occasionally. Now add the greens and another pinch of salt, using tongs to carefully mix in with the sautéed veggies in the pan. Add about a half cup of water (or stock) to the pan, and turn heat to high until the water begins to boil. When it does, turn heat down a little bit, and let the greens simmer, covered, stirring occasionally until they're nearly tender but still a little al dente. At that point, remove the lid and let them cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid in the pan has evaporated.
Turn off the heat, taste, and add a little salt if necessary. Arrange the cooked kale in a casserole dish large enough to comfortably fit them all. Pour the cream over. Sprinkle the cheese all over the top. Give it a vigorous lashing of black pepper. Bake until the top is well-browned (30-45  minutes). Serve hot. 
*This dish can be made a day or two in advance and reheated in a 350 F oven just before serving. Better yet, cook kale until they're tender and then store them in the fridge until the big day, when you bake them off with cream, cheese, etc.  Vegan variation: Replace the cream with coconut milk and replace the cheese with bread crumbs (or slivered almonds) .

Kale, Sausage and Black-eyed Pea Soup

This is a very hearty meal in a bowl for 6

¼ c olive oil

2 yellow onions, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp dried thyme

½ tsp smoked Spanish paprika

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried sage

¼ tsp crushed chili peppers

1 lb Kielbasa or mildly hot Italian sausage, sliced into ¼” disks*

15 oz (1 can) chopped tomatoes and juice

1 bunch Lacinto/Tuscan Kale, stems removed, greens cut into bite-sized pieces

4 c chicken broth*

3 c water

1 cup brown lentils

1 lb Yukon gold potatoes, cut into cubes

1 14 oz can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed

1 tsp sea salt

2 tsp sherry vinegar (don’t worry if you don’t have any)

In a medium stockpot, heat the oil. Add onion and garlic and sauté 3 minutes. Add spices. Stir and sauté 30 seconds. Add sausage, stirring to blend. Sauté 3-5 minutes until onions are soft and sausage starts to brown.

Add tomatoes and stir to blend. Cook 30-60 seconds. Add kale, lentils, broth and water. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer 30 minutes. Add potatoes, black-eyed peas and salt.  Cook another 15 minutes.

Add optional vinegar. Taste and adjust seasonings and spices.

Serve with a green salad and crusty bread with butter or soft cheese.

If you are vegetarian, substitute 1 lb firm tofu, cut into cubes and fried in olive oil with a pinch of fennel or anise seed until brown and crisp. Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.

 

Yellow Split Peas with Cinnamon and Kale

This is one of the most popular dishes in Veggiyana, the Dharma of Cooking. It's seriously fragrant, outrageously nutritious, eye popping colorful and delicious. Plus it goes with everything.

Serves 6

2 cups yellow split peas, cleaned

1 bunch Tuscan kale, chopped (thick stem removed)

1 lg. cinnamon stick

2 bay leaves

5 cloves

1 tsp. cumin seed

½ tsp. ground cumin

½ tsp. ground cardamom

½ inch fresh ginger, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp. turmeric

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 medium red onion, diced

2 tbsp. olive oil or ghee if you prefer

5 cups water

½ bunch fresh cilantro for garnish

Bring water to boil in a large saucepan or medium casserole.

Add split peas, turmeric, cinnamon stick and half the salt (1 tsp.). Cook covered for one hour, checking that there is always some water in the pot.)

While the peas cook, heat the oil or ghee in a medium-sized frying or sauté pan. Over medium heat, fry the bay leaves, cumin seeds and cloves for one minute. Add the onion, ginger and garlic and cook until the onions lightly brown, stirring to blend. Stir in the kale and 1 tsp salt. Continue cooking until the kale is glistening and soft.  Remove the bay leaves from the pot. 

Add the contents of the fry pan to the split peas. Add the ground cardamom, cumin and black pepper, stirring to blend. Taste for seasonings and adjust to your preference.

Continue cooking until the peas are soft, adding water if necessary.  Some people prefer this soupy and others on the dry side.

KALE STUFFING for turkey breast, pork, kabocha squash or turnovers

1 lb kale, washed & chopped 

2 tbsp olive oil 

¼ lb spinach or chard, washed & chopped

1/8 tsp ground cloves 

1 lg onion, chopped 

3 tbsp coconut cream 

2 tbsp butter

3/4cup cottage or ricotta cheese 

¼ lb brown button mushrooms, chopped 

Salt and fresh ground black pepper 

1/2 tsp ground chili powder 

¼ lb sausage or smoked ham, diced*

*optional

Melt butter in a large skillet and brown mushrooms with cloves 3 minutes. Add sausage or ham and lightly brown 2-3 minutes. Pour into a work bowl. Heat oil in the skillet and cook onions with chili over medium low heat until soft. Add kale and spinach, increase heat and evaporate moisture on the greens. Reduce heat and simmer until kale is tender, 3-5 minutes. Blend in coconut cream. Add to the mushrooms. Stir in cheese, salt and pepper. Rub the surface of what you are stuffing with softened butter and pile this in to roast or bake.