Kale
This abundant growing hearty green is a staple in our household! We use it often in soups, salads, side dishes, pastas, pestos, baked as chips, juiced, and more! Great blanched, sauteed, baked, or massaged and eaten raw.
Storage
Stores best in a damp paper towel in a plastic bag in the fridge, but its pretty hearty and can also just go straight in the drawer if you think you’ll use it sooner. Best if used within a week, but if stored properly, can last even longer! Greens also freeze well. Blanch in salted boiling water for several minutes, drain and plunge into ice water. Chill for two minutes; drain. Pack in freezer containers or bags.
Our Recipes
Tuscan Kale, beet greens, white bean, and bread soup (from Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat)
This one is a great way to use kale and all those beet greens! As you'll see from our notes, we made lots of changes, and found this soup to be very forgiving with ingredient changes and still ended up being so dang tasty!
Olive oil
Optional: 2oz pancetta or bacon, diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
2 bay leaves
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 cups crushed canned or fresh tomatoes in their juice (we didn’t have any and instead added a splash of white balsamic at the end and it was delicious)
3 cups cooked beans (cannelloni, corona, or cranberry) cooking liquid reserved (from about one cup raw, feel free to use canned beans in a pinch, that's what we used!)
1 oz freshly grated Parmesan (about 1/2cup), rind reserved
3-4 cups chicken stock or water
2 bunches kale, thinly sliced (we used the curly kale and beet greens and it was delicious!)
1/2 small head green or savoy cabbage (we didn't add this and its still good)
Optional: 4 cups croutons (we used ripped up toasted sourdough bread)
Set a large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. When the oil shimmers, add pancetta, if using, and cook, stirring for 1 minute, until it just begins to brown.
Add the onions, celery, carrots, and bay leaves. Season generously with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are tender and just starting to brown, about 15 minutes. Dig a little hole in the center of the pot, then add another tablespoon of olive oil. Add the garlic and let it sizzle gently until it gives off an aroma, about 30 seconds. Before the garlic has a chance to brown, add the tomatoes. Stir, taste, and add salt if needed.
Let the tomatoes simmer until they cook down to a jammy consistency, about 8 minutes, then add the beans and their cooking liquid, half the grated Parmesan and its rind, and enough stock or water to cover. Add two immoderate splashes of olive oil, about 1/4 cut. Stirring occasionally, bring the soup back to a simmer. Add the kale(/beet greens) and cabbage and bring to a simmer again, adding more stock or water as needed to cover.
Add croutons, if using. Stir frequently, as the starch released by the bread is apt to form a crust on the bottom of the pot and burn. Cook until the bread has completely absorbed the stock (Samin says 25 minutes, until it melts into the soup and is no longer chunky, but we maybe had it in there for 15 of the 20 minutes you are cooking the kale- see below)
Cook until the flavors have come together and the greens are tender, about 20 minutes more. Taste and adjust for salt. I like this soup to be very thick, but add more liquid if you like a lighter soup. Remove Parmesan rind and bay leaves.
Serve with a drizzle of the best olive oil you have on hand and grated Parmesan.
Store covered in the fridge for up to 5 days. This soup also freezes exceptionally well for up to 2 months. Return the soup to a boil before using.
Quinoa Kale Salad- This is one of our favorite kale salads. The salt and massage technique is generally the best way to get your kale a bit more tender for salads. We start with chopping up the kale (de-stemming if desired). First get some quinoa cooking. Meanwhile, pour a generous amount of olive oil on with a teaspoon or so of salt. Massage for 30 seconds, and let sit. Chop up an avocado and red onion into bite size pieces. Toss everything together in a big bowl and top with some lemon and pepper.
Tuscan Kale Caesar Salad Shout out to our friend Hannah for this idea! And you can even make your own dressing with the help of Samin from Salt Fat Acid Heat! For 1 1/2 cups of dressing-
4 Salt-packed anchovies (or 8 filets), soaked and filetes
3/4 cup mayo
1 garlic clove, finely grated or pounded with a pinch of salt
3-4 tablespoons lemon juice
1teaspoon white wine vinegar
3 oz chunk of Parmesan, finely grated (about 1 cup), plus for for serving
3/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Freshly ground pepper
Salt
Coarsely chop anchovies and then pound them into a fine paste in a mortar and pestle. The more you break them down, the better the dressing will be. In a medium bowl, stir together the anchovies, Mayo, garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, parm, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper. Taste with a leaf of kale, then add salt and adjust acid as needed. Combine in bowl with croutons, more parm, and some optional chicken or salmon!
Kale salad with tahini lime dressing Here is an awesome salad dressing that one of our CSA members, Kristen, introduced us to. It's written pretty general but also very forgiving and easy to adjust to your desired taste: Mix a couple scoops of tahini with half a lime (or lemons work too!), a splash of white vinegar (I used rice vinegar), some mayo, a large clove of minced garlic, a good size chunk of minced ginger, lots of pepper, salt and a touch of honey. Makes for a creamy, toasty, bright dressing that holds up well to kale's hearty texture. great topped with sliced cucumber and cabbage if you still have any from last week!
Kale Chips Kale chips are a great way to use lots of kale and satisfy those of us with a serious love for snacks. We like to flavor ours with cumin, paprika, cayenne and salt. Toss in oil and spread on a baking sheet. Put in the oven at 275 degrees and check up every few minutes and rotate pan around 10 minutes in so that they don't burn. Usually takes about 20 minutes at this heat.
Massaged curly kale salad with Asian pears and nuts If you're not ready to dive two feet into soup season, here is another great recipe for a bbq this weekend. Massage your kale with Sesame oil, lemon juice and salt. Make a ginger, soy sauce, honey dressing but go easy on the honey. Top with Asian pears for some added tartness and any kind of nuts you have around the house for texture. Would also be great with a red wine vinegar and olive oil base with a little goat cheese on top.
Kale Gomaee Blanch kale in boiling water for 30 seconds, drain and run under cool water. Mix with a tahini, soy sauce, vinegar and sugar dressing and sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
Other Recipes
https://bojongourmet.com/baked-chilaquiles-with-black-beans-and/