First time trying kale, what should I do?

CyberTone

I bought a bunch of mature kale leaves - about 19 oz. (540g). I have never tried kale before.

I am not into adding any leafy greens (especially raw, possibly bitter greens) to my frozen fruit protein smoothies whatsoever, so that is a non-starter.

Looking for a few simple ways to prepare or use kale for the first time that will make sure I will like it.

I cook and bake a lot, so no problem there. I do have lots of rendered pork fat to use, so I am leaning toward sauteing some of it.

Luna3386

The only way I will eat kale is in a raw salad that's marinated for a few days: with olive oil, your choice of vinegar, salt, and golden raisins

ccrdragon

saute it with the pork fat - make sure that you use only the leaves (the stalks are basically useless and something akin to eating stringy, tough cardboard). You can add a little lemon and basil as well. Other than that, you could throw it in the trash and go buy something else .

livingleanlivingclean

I would cook mature leaves in your fat.... I find them tough and hard on my digestive system as raw leaves. Perhaps add some bacon/ham and other vegies in an omelette?

French_Peasant

ccrdragon wrote: »

saute it with the pork fat - make sure that you use only the leaves (the stalks are basically useless and something akin to eating stringy, tough cardboard). You can add a little lemon and basil as well. Other than that, you could throw it in the trash and go buy something else .

Or at least throw them in the compost.

I grow a lot of kale, because I think it is pretty and it lasts into the winter and comes back first thing in the spring, but I have not been terribly fond thus far of eating it. The best use I have found is in Portuguese Kale Soup or Minestrone.

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/kale-minestrone-pistou

https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/portuguese-kale-soup/14906/?utm_term=.f5084f20a1f3

http://www.nytimes.com/1995/02/26/magazine/it-s-hard-to-be-green.html?pagewanted=1

try2again

Our favorite use for it is a modified version of Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana:

1/4-1/2 lb Italian sausage (I like Hillshire Farms)
1 large onion, chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
48 oz low sodium chicken broth
3-4 large russets, unpeeled, quartered and sliced 1/4" thick
1 12 oz can 2% or fat free evaporated milk
3-4 cups chopped kale
salt & pepper to taste
Brown the sausage & onion, drain. Add garlic 1 minute. Add broth & potatoes, cover and simmer 6-7 minutes or until tender (don't overcook). Stir in milk, kale, and seasonings- heat through. 8 servings (about 1 cup), 237 calories/serving prepared with 4 medium potatoes and 2% evap. milk.

I also have a good skillet dish:

Beefy Kale Skillet Lasagna
1 lb 85% or greater lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
3 tsp minced garlic
1 TB oregano
1 tsp basil
salt & pepper to taste
2 cans fire roasted diced tomatoes
2 tsp honey
4 cups chopped kale
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1 1/2 cups 1-2% cottage cheese
8 oz pasta of your choice (I use Creamette or store brand 150 calorie high-fiber rotini)
Optional: finely shredded Italian cheese blend
Cook pasta. Brown ground beef & onion. Drain. Add garlic and spices 1-2 minutes. Add tomatoes and honey and bring to a simmer. Add kale and simmer for 5-7 minutes. Stir in parmesan and cottage cheese- heat through. Toss w/pasta. Serve with 1-2 TB shredded cheese, if desired. 8 servings.

Spliner1969

Put the Kale down and step away slowly. For good measure hire someone to take it and toss it in the trash. There are much better ways to get fiber and vitamins.

Meaganinsardinia

Oh I've made the kale smoothy mistake. Very wise Sir. Best of luck with it. For me it goes best with compost as my chickens wont eat it either.

Chef_Barbell

I only eat dark leafy greens with bacon fat and a huge hunk of smokes pork or turkey. So dang yummy.

French_Peasant

Chef_Barbell wrote: »

I only eat dark leafy greens with bacon fat and a huge hunk of smokes pork or turkey. So dang yummy.

The only other tough green I grow is collards. I chop, blanch and freeze them, which helps to break down the tougher mature leaves, and then add in onions and cook them with bacon or a ham hock--this year I am planning on including kale in the mix as well, since kale is just basically collards with a side-dish of pretension.

French_Peasant

Meaganinsardinia wrote: »

Oh I've made the kale smoothy mistake. Very wise Sir. Best of luck with it. For me it goes best with compost as my chickens wont eat it either.

Sadly, my rabbits will not eat it either.

CyberTone

Thank you all for the responses so far. I am going to chop up a few of the leaf tips and add them raw to my lunch salad today and see if I can taste it.

@try2again Those recipes look great. Thank you.

Chef_Barbell

French_Peasant wrote: »

Chef_Barbell wrote: »

I only eat dark leafy greens with bacon fat and a huge hunk of smokes pork or turkey. So dang yummy.

The only other tough green I grow is collards. I chop, blanch and freeze them, which helps to break down the tougher mature leaves, and then add in onions and cook them with bacon or a ham hock--this year I am planning on including kale in the mix as well, since kale is just basically collards with a side-dish of pretension.

Exactly! I grew up on greens before they were considered trendy.

cs2thecox

ccrdragon wrote: »

saute it with the pork fat - make sure that you use only the leaves (the stalks are basically useless and something akin to eating stringy, tough cardboard). You can add a little lemon and basil as well. Other than that, you could throw it in the trash and go buy something else .

This. (I'm anti kale...)

But pork fat might make it taste like, well, pork instead of kale. I'd try that for sure!

CyberTone

French_Peasant wrote: »

ccrdragon wrote: »

saute it with the pork fat - make sure that you use only the leaves (the stalks are basically useless and something akin to eating stringy, tough cardboard). You can add a little lemon and basil as well. Other than that, you could throw it in the trash and go buy something else .

Or at least throw them in the compost.

I grow a lot of kale, because I think it is pretty and it lasts into the winter and comes back first thing in the spring, but I have not been terribly fond thus far of eating it. The best use I have found is in Portuguese Kale Soup or Minestrone.

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/kale-minestrone-pistou

https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/portuguese-kale-soup/14906/?utm_term=.f5084f20a1f3

http://www.nytimes.com/1995/02/26/magazine/it-s-hard-to-be-green.html?pagewanted=1

@French_Peasant These look great. Thank you.

__TMac__

Sure, it's trendy now, but don't hold that against it.

Definitely strip out the stems/ribs.

For salad, tear it into small pieces and rub it down with the dressing. It softens it a little.

For sauté, I just treat it like fresh spinach. Brown some onions and garlic in your fat of choice. Add your torn up leaves on top and splash with water. Cover, stirring occasionally, until it's wilty enough for your taste. Add seasonings as desired.

It also holds up to soup well. Small pieces in lentil soup are good.

laurenebargar

We make a kale dish that is simply kale, white beans (or navy beans) and bacon and onions. Cook the bacon, remove from pan leaving bacon fat, add beans, and onion (garlic if you'd like) and then put the kale in chopped and cover for 3-4 minutes stir and turn off heat.

Its simple but surprisingly tasty, we use it as a main dish or a side.

work_on_it

I think i'm surprised on all the kale hate... i always thought it was supposed to be decent nutrient and low cal. I use it raw in salads a good bit instead of iceberg or romaine or whatever.

Collards... omg i do love collards. sloooooooow boiled as whole leaves with a smoked turkey leg... mmmmm.

jennybearlv

I saute in bacon fat, then add in the crumbled bacon, so I think your rendered pork fat would be delicious. I also add kale to soups during the last 10 minutes of cooking. It is very good with beans or lentils.

jennybearlv

French_Peasant wrote: »

ccrdragon wrote: »

saute it with the pork fat - make sure that you use only the leaves (the stalks are basically useless and something akin to eating stringy, tough cardboard). You can add a little lemon and basil as well. Other than that, you could throw it in the trash and go buy something else .

Or at least throw them in the compost.

I grow a lot of kale, because I think it is pretty and it lasts into the winter and comes back first thing in the spring, but I have not been terribly fond thus far of eating it. The best use I have found is in Portuguese Kale Soup or Minestrone.

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/kale-minestrone-pistou

https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/portuguese-kale-soup/14906/?utm_term=.f5084f20a1f3

http://www.nytimes.com/1995/02/26/magazine/it-s-hard-to-be-green.html?pagewanted=1

I grow kale too. It is so easy, lasts through winter and takes a lot of heat to go bitter. I make the Portuguese greens soup from the Joy of Cooking all the time. A favorite of mine. I find kale tastes best after a frost. It gets very sweet. It was always kind of meh when I grew it in Vegas. I usually start my plants indoors in February and plant them out March 15. It's still snowing when I plant them, but they don't mind and it just makes them taste better.

RedfootDaddy

Making this for dinner: https://www.budgetbytes.com/2013/10/garlic-parmesan-kale-pasta/ Butter, garlic, parm? Heaven. Don't forget the chili flakes, they make it.