It tastes something like chard, something like beet greens, more like mustard greens and dandelion greens. I assume you’re eating it steamed and unseasoned. It annoys some people because of a slightly “chalky” aftertaste, the intensity of which varies, as noted.
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Orange juice is even better than red wine vinegar. It is great with the garlic. First had it made thus way at a Cuban restaurant and have been doing it ever since.
Oh boy, I took this basic healthy recipe and corrupted it! Happily. Fried 3-4 strips of chopped bacon, drained off most of the fat, did the rest just the same but during the final cooking added some diced leftover cooked fingerling potatoes, then some soon-to-be-unusable chopped cherry tomatoes, then the bacon and oh my yum.
Saute onions in olive oil on low heat; when golden add garlic. Cook 30 sec-1 min. Add kale to pan with only the water from washing it. Cover and cook until soft and wilted but still green. Remove cover. Add a tablespoon of vinegar of lemon juice (or lemon slices). Season with salt and pepper. Also good with allspice.
Ive been cooking vegetables, leafy and not, using this technique (learned from watching Jacques Pepin on PBS) for a few years though I add the red pepper flakes to the oil and garlic before the veg and toss the veg in the oil prior to adding the water/stock (avoids excess splattering). Ive learned to never salt kale until after cooking as earlier salting results in a tough, chewy green.
Belgian cooking was once described as “German quantities with French quality” so, cooking this in Brussels, I Belgianized it! I sautéed some speck to start with, deglazed and simmered with a chicken stock/rivaner mix, thickened the sauce with a good dollop of fresh cream, and finished it off with a generous twist of the pepper mill – and a splash of orange juice instead of the vinegar. Divine. And very Belgian.
An Indianized alternative. Also works great with Silverbeet or Collard greens. Roughly chop and clean the greens. Squeeze as much water out as possible, nuke them for 1 minute. Heat coconut oil (or sesame and light olive oil) with ajwain mustard and cumin seeds until they sizzle, add a handful of dried cranberries or raisins (pre-soaked). Saute for a few seconds, then add greens and stir a few times. Add flakes of coconut and stir till toasted. Greens should be wilted but still crisp.
Stephen: By all means, do not toss the stems. You can pop them in the pan with the kale, and theyll be just as tasty as the leaves. Or you can set them aside — for soup, for example. Rachel Ray even makes a pesto with the stems.
How much kale is in a bunch? The size of bunches seems to vary from store to store here.
Good recipe! My bunch of green kale was extra large, but I used the recipe proportions except for a little less olive oil. When I make it again, I will use only 1 Tbs of red-wine vinegar – for my taste, 2 Tbs was too vinegary. I cooked the fairly young kale about 8 minutes, instead of 5 to 7, and it was just done enough. I like the idea of sautéing some chopped onion first, before the garlic is added.
So simple and tasty, and it can be added to SO many dishes. I added this to a parmesan polenta and sausage dish (with caramelized onions) and it was just the ticket. Turning the heat to high was too high, some of the kale stuck to the bottom and burned when it was covered and cooking, so Ive adjusted to medium-high. Also, I reduced the vinegar to 1 tbsp, so the green taste isnt too overwhelmed. Ill be adding this to everything… bean stews are next.
Loved this recipe and made it a veggie main dish by adding halved cashews and serving over jasmine rice.
Now I really like to cook kale! “De-veining” and chopping the stems to sauté first really works!
I have also added chopped fresh ginger with the garlic, a few drops of lemon juice as the greens cook, and a little tamari and toasted sesame oil at the end, no vinegar. It works well with chard too.
I was planning to make this just as written, since it sounds divine and I love any greens cooked with olive oil and garlic…but my husband convinced me to fry up a little bacon–as another poster mentioned–and I sauted some sliced onions as well. I seasoned the kale with salt, pepper, hot pepper flakes, grated nutmeg and red wine vinegar. We will serve it tonight (New Years Eve) alongside our beef rib roast and tomorrow with black-eyed peas. Delish!
Similar to the version I make, but no stock/wine/water/vinegar required. You can use high heat, and I have found a wok is easiest. No reason not to include the stems as well!
Add orange juice instead of vinegar
Thank you! This was delicious. Love the simplicity
Very nice! I added chopped walnuts and would definitely make again. Might decrease the red wine vinegar or try the orange juice as others suggested.
Even my kid liked it! I added roasted shitake mushrooms.
I sauté red onion first before adding the garlic alongside some red pepper flakes and mustard seeds (trust me).
Almost made as written… I had some extra diced onions from another dish so I added those as well as garlic. Excellent taste. Sometimes simple is better.
Add in a handful of raisins and toasted walnuts and throw over orrechiete, or serve over toasted ciabatta with pecorino. Delicious.
Excellent way to cook Kale
This recipe was so delicious! I used rice vinegar instead of vinegar and chicken stock instead of vegetable stock and to add a little bit of pizzazz I added dry coleslaw to the sauté and grilled chicken.
Following tips from the comments, we only used a teaspoon (1 tsp) of red wine vinegar. We added a splash of lemon juice with the vinegar. We eyeballed everything else and adjusted the heat and timing greatly. We upped the garlic (per usual) and reduced the oil. Next time well start with onion or shallot (and caramelize it). We also added allspice which was a nice touch.
I am so glad I found this recipe. It is terrific. I am not a very good cook, and I am definitely not what I think is meant by a “foodie.” So I dont have vegetable stock or white wine. I love kale in salads and smoothies, yet I hadnt found an easy recipe for cooked kale. This is it. I had all the other ingredients and I tried to follow exactly. I used only 2 Tablespoons olive oil as I am trying to use less oil. This was perfect!
I added pine nuts, dried cherries, and a squeeze of lemon at the end. Omitted the vinegar. Perfection.
I know this sounds like heresy (but Im southern and a sometimes gambler), so I cooked 3 strips of bacon, removed to crumble later, sauteed a sweet onion in the drippings, omitted the olive oil and proceeded with the recipe. It was sinful but delish! Everyone at my dinner party wanted the recipe. Granted, they all grew up with Grandmas Southern greens, too.
Used white wine and substituted extra orange juice instead of red wine vinegar, as others recommended. It turned out absolutely delicious!
So- I liked this in concept but- watch the heat! On the gas stove, even cooking the greens on medium heat for 3 min was too much and some burned. Also, wine + 1 tbsp of vinegar was way too much acid- my kids werent fans (although honestly I dont mind the flavor). Anyway, next time- either wine or vinegar, probably not both.Private notes are only visible to you.
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