One of the things that is coming out of the veg patch in abundance at the moment is kale. In all sorts of different varieties – Cavolo Nero (black kale, which is probably coming to an end now if you’re growing it further north), Borecole (curly kale) and Red Russian Kale are the three we’re growing. Kale is delicious sautéed with a bit of garlic and butter as a side dish, but we think it’s worth giving it a bit more of a centre stage presence…
Kale Crisps
Yes, these are delicious. Please try them:
Heat your oven to 160 degrees celsius. Trim off the leaves (you only want to use the leafy bit, not the stem/ribs) and chop into small pieces. Toss the kale in olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and bake for 10 minutes until they’re nice and crispy. Be vigilant, as they burn quite quickly if you leave them a minute or two too long!
Kale Pesto
This is a nice wintry way of making homemade pesto, and a good way of getting kale into your children’s food…
Remove the stems of the kale and roughly chop up the leaves. You need a good amount of leaves as they shrink enormously! A big plateful or two is perfect. Pop into a blender, add a handful of nuts (we like pecans and walnuts, but you could use pine nuts or anything else that tickles your fancy), a generous squeeze of lemon juice, a peeled garlic clove and a pinch of sea salt. Drizzle in some olive oil as you whizz it up until it reaches that lovely pesto consistency. Have a little taste and tweak with a bit more salt or lemon juice as necessary.
Brunchtime Kale Hash
This is a lovely way of eating kale, muddled in with potatoes to make a hash and served with a poached egg on a Sunday morning.You’ll need some pre-cooked potatoes for this recipe.
Chop up some kale leaves (no stalks) and pop them into boiling water for a minute. Strain and run under cold water to stop it from overcooking. Set aside to dry.
Roughly cut your pre-cooked potatoes and add to a frying pan with olive oil and a crushed garlic clove. Cook the potatoes up for a few minutes until they start to brown. Meanwhile, get a pan of water on the go for your poached egg (add a spoonful of white wine vinegar to the water for best results.)
When the potatoes are nearly done, break your egg in the water to poach (3 minutes) and add the kale to the potatoes to warm through for a minute, sprinkle with sea salt. Serve the kale hash with the poached egg on top as soon as it’s ready, sprinkled with black pepper. Yum.