When did kale suddenly become an “in” thing? This leafy green has been with us since 2000 BC so how did the kale craze only start in 2012? Kale became popular quickly because of the super food trend and because of the variety of ways you can prepare it. Once people started hearing about how nutritious it was they went crazy gaga over it. It provides high amounts of vitamins and calcium, supposedly contains chemicals that prevent cancer, decrease cholesterol, and reduce the absorption of dietary fat. It became a hit with those who were following the organic and farmers markets.
My brother and sister-in-law grow kale in their garden. We were visiting and my sister-in-law mentioned that she had some kale in her fridge and would I like some. "Sure!" and she handed a grocery bag full of big leafy greens to me. Wow. What to do with all this kale. Todd is not a big fan; I like it but don't love it.
So what to do with 2 pounds of kale. Answer: To take care of the first pound of kale - Beans and greens with some kielbasa and fire roasted tomatoes.
A few years ago my daughter gave a cookbook to me, Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables by Joshua McFadden. In it is a recipe for a pasta sauce made with kale. Green, very green, pasta sauce. The ingredients are simple - kale, garlic, olive oil, Parmesan, salt and pepper. I chose Orecchiette, aka "the little ear", for this dish.
It's a bright and refreshing sauce, light and tasty in the spring and summer, and brings and pop of flavor and color to the fall and winter months.
I am still not convinced that Kale is edible, it didn't kill me, it just made me wonder why. I generally find it either tough, or overcooked. I am not a fan of cooked greens (reminds me of the underside of a lawn mower in a hot summer day.).
ReplyDeleteI get what you're saying about kale. I don't like it raw. It has to be a small part of the dish rather than the main attraction.
DeleteThose are some very creative ideas. I'm constantly seeing kale on restaurant menus. It's not a favorite of mine either but I do eat it every now and then. Given all it's supposed to do for us, I should probably eat more of it.
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