Easy Eats - January/February 2012

HE SAYS

Until I was in my 20s, I thought kale came in one form: curled around the inner edges of the bowls on a salad bar. Remember that? The potato salad sat in a flourish of green presentation— kale. We’ve come a long way since those salad bar days of the ’80s.

Kale is such a lovely, hearty leafy green. It’s packed with flavor. You only need to do a little coaxing with a slow braise or a good dressing or some salt and oil to let kale reveal itself.

I love cooking with it. In the last few years in particular, I love using kale in the vegan specials I make at my restaurant, The Hardware Store on Vashon Island. A dollop of yam soup, topped with roasted tofu and sprinkled with kale chips or a braised kale with roasted sweet potato slices and a cilantro-mint sauce. Somehow, kale shows up in plenty of my cooking.

Shauna loves lacinato kale most. I also love the red Russian kale, which is a little more curly and a little sweeter. A farmer on the island grows it in huge volumes for our restaurant. We go through it fast. People just love the taste.

If you pay attention to what is growing at this moment, you’ll know what to eat. Kale is available year-round in the market, but the winter and early spring is when it’s sweetest. Eat your kale now. You won’t regret it.

Braised Kale

SERVES 4

PREP TIME 10 min

COOK TIME 13 min Braising kale makes it tender and even more full of flavor than when it’s raw. This dish works beautifully as a side dish to pork chops, baked fish or roasted chicken.

2 tablespoons olive oil ½ medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

4 cups lacinato kale, chopped

2 cups vegetable broth
Set a deep skillet over medium-
high heat. Add the olive oil. When
the oil is hot, add the onion and
garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until
the onions have softened, about 5
minutes. (Take care not to burn the
garlic.) Add the thyme and cook until
fragrant, about 2 minutes.