Kale: The Leafy Green Monster

Recipes

Posted by Lucy Baker, February 26, 2008 at 3:00 PM

I always thought that kale was supposed to behave like spinach. Granted, I haven't done much cooking with it, but I assumed that when exposed to heat it would wilt and shrivel down to a fraction of its original size. So when I decided to make the potato soup with kale and chorizo from the March issue of Bon Appétit I didn't bat an eye over the fact that the recipe called for a lot of it—16 cups, to be exact.

I chopped the onion and sautéed it in olive oil. I diced the chorizo and added it to the pot along with the fragrant, spicy smoked paprika. I tossed in the slices of potato and poured in two quarts of chicken stock. And then I began tearing the pound and a half of kale into bite-sized pieces, mounding them in a large salad bowl as I went. When I was finished, the salad bowl was almost overflowing. It was like a leafy, green mountain; enough kale to feed an army of anemics.

No matter, I said to myself. As soon as it’s submerged in the steaming, bubbling chicken stock it will wither and collapse like an elaborate hairdo in August.

I was wrong. Kale, like spinach, is bitter and fibrous and full of iron. But that's where the similarities end. After simmering for an hour it was still as dense and voluminous as it had been when raw. Instead of soup with kale in it, what I had made was more like kale with a little bit of soup around it.

I served myself a small portion for lunch, pressing back the unruly greens with a ladle to extract as much broth as possible. The flavor was rich and peppery, and I enjoyed the contrast between the fiery chorizo and the earthy potatoes. But if I ever make this soup again, I'm cutting the cups of kale in half. I suggest you do the same. And if anyone has any good recipes for kale, I love to have them. I have an extra bunch of the stuff leftover...

About the author: Lucy Baker is a graduate student in the writing program at Sarah Lawrence College. Before returning to school to pursue an MFA, she was an assistant cookbook editor at HarperCollins. She lives in Brooklyn and is currently obsessed with all things fennel.

Potato Soup with Kale and Chorizo

- makes 6 servings -

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
8 ounces Spanish chorizo, chopped
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 1/2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch slices
8 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1 1/2 lbs kale, stemmed and torn into small pieces (about 16 cups, although I suggest halving this amount)

Procedure

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and sautée until translucent, 8 minutes. Add chorizo and paprika and stir for 1 minute. Add the potatoes and chicken stock and increase heat to boil. Add kale and stir until soup returns to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

19 Comments | Tags: kale, soup

19 Comments:

I have a couple bunches of kale in the fridge and intend to make "kale chips" tonight -- came across them in another blog (link below) and thought it sounded fantastic...might be an option for your leftovers.
http://28cooks.blogspot.com/2008/02/kale-chips-ive-been-seeing-recipes-for.html

harlem_panadera at 3:33PM on 02/26/08

One of my favorite things to do with kale is simply to saute it.

I take a big pan, heat it to medium high, coat the bottom with olive oil and then saute about a half teaspoon of garlic and some red pepper flakes. Once those are done, I add the kale and about three to four tablespoons of water to help it wilt/cook. I turn the kale frequently to make sure that it's coated with garlic/red pepper/olive oil and that it's all cooking equally. It takes about fifteen minutes to cook all the way through for a regular-sized bunch of kale. Towards the end, I add some pinches of kosher salt (not too much! it's already pretty salty on its own) and a few grinds of black pepper.

It's a good side dish to pretty much anything, and always surprises people: "Kale? I've never had kale! This is great!"

sheeats at 3:54PM on 02/26/08

Colcannon (an Irish dish that combines mashed potatoes with kale or cabbage) is a pretty good option. I have a recipe here that's pretty simple. I'm thinking the kale version will be prettier than the one I made, though! http://threeforks.wordpress.com/2008/02/15/simplest-thing-in-the-world/

threeForks at 4:22PM on 02/26/08

@threeForks... you beat me to it. Colcannon is one of my favorite potato dishes, whether with cabbage or kale. But I really, REALLY love it with kale (helps me feel better about all the butter).

Kale is probably one of my top three most perfect vegetables. It is just so awesome! It has a great affinity for beans, especially white beans. MMMmmm... might have to make me some of that good stuff...

LoCo at 4:25PM on 02/26/08

Kale salad is one of my favorite things in the world. Chop it really fine and add toasted cashews, goat cheese and chopped dried apricot. Dress with lemon juice, olive oil and salt. So good.

Another variation I'm partial to is kale salad with grated beets and carrot, toasted sunflower seeds and diced fuji apple. Same lemon juice/olive oil dressing.

Whole Foods has a nice one with pine nuts, dried cranberries, and cherry tomatoes they've been offering at the deli section lately. The possibilities really are endless. It's the one food I never get tired of eating.

MayaBruck at 4:43PM on 02/26/08

I made hummus with kale the other day - a can of chickpeas, a couple cloves of garlic, a couple spoonfuls of tahini, lots of salt, and a few leaves of kale all thrown in the food processor - and voila. It tasted surprisingly great.

I also like kale in colcannon as mentioned above.

The best kale dish I've ever had is at Diner in Williamsburg - a salad of warm chiffonades of kale, a scattering of bacon and breadcrumbs, and a poached egg on top. I would love to try it at home but haven't yet figured out how they got the kale warm and slightly wilted without losing its texture for a salad.

thewoundedchef at 4:54PM on 02/26/08

The Lacinato Kale Salad from Franny's via NYT's is amazing. Really fresh tasting and very easy to whip up. Highly recommended: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/24/dining/241arex.html?ref=dining

rockchick at 4:55PM on 02/26/08

I grew up on a similar German recipe 'Grün Kohl' done with either ham shanks, a giant slab of side bacon, or a salty sausage.

This should be a great recipe that I look forward to cooking! I will definitely try it; thanks!

hungrychristel at 5:05PM on 02/26/08

I had never cooked kale until last week. I saw some at the grocery store that looked pretty good. I bought the same amount as I would for spinach. And I had the same problem with having way too much after it cooked! I did it sauteed from a recipe on epicurious. It was very tasty and I'll make it again, but I'll be sure not to buy as much.

Library Lady at 5:08PM on 02/26/08

I have an embarassing story about kale. My grandmother used to cook it fresh from the garden all the time, but once when I was a child I swallowed half of a huge kale rib while I was still chewing the other half in my mouth. I gagged and my mother thought I was choking, so she picked me up and attempted to turn me upside down.
Needless to say, I survived. But ever since then, I've liked my greens cooked to a pleasantly pork-scented mush. So I say boil the &$@! out of those kale greens, and throw a ham hock in there while you're at it.

Southerngirl at 8:26PM on 02/26/08

I've been wanting to try kale for a while now because of it's superb nutritional value. Thank you sheeats and MayaBruck for the great suggestions - I use the same saute method for broccoli rabe and will definitely try it with kale.

Here's a recipe from Gourmet magazine that I bookmarked but haven't tried yet - lacinato kale and ricotta salata salad:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/236940

overw8 at 7:10AM on 02/27/08

Kale is perfect in a frittatas with some crushed red pepper, garlic, potatoes and any other leftover vegetables you've got. It's holds it's own because of the unsmotherability. I always toss it in a salad with all my leftover herbs.

lesliepariseau at 9:35AM on 02/27/08

Looks like lacinto in the photo. I bought some big honkin' lacinto last week for soup and it took forever to cook. Younger plants seems to be the way to go They cook down reasonably quickly, but don't shrink as much as spinach. Ditto green kale.

billg at 10:33AM on 02/27/08

Kale is absolutely, no question, my favorite vegetable of all time! My three staple applications:

Braised with chickpeas, onion, & garlic

Chestnut, kale, & white bean soup

Kale & chickpea soup with chorizo

gfroerer at 11:30AM on 02/27/08

Check out Melissa Clark's raw kale salad recipe adapted from Franny's in Brooklyn.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/24/dining/241arex.html?_r=1&ref=dining&oref=slogin

I love playing around with this recipe, and adding different spices such as smoked salt and za'tar.

Very anemic, I am a big fan of kale, which is a good thing given that the averaged sized woman must eat 16 cups of kale to get her fill of iron for the day.

Margherita at 12:04PM on 02/27/08

overw8--that kale & ricotta salata recipe from epicurious is phenomenal! I've made it several times, but with regular kale because I couldn't find lacinato kale. And since for some shocking reason my local "European style" food market didn't have ricotta salata (in fact, it was clear they didn't know what I was talking about), I substituted some nice crumbled French feta instead, because I had it.

Anyway, the amazing thing about this dish is that it holds, and holds, and holds. I've finished it off a full week after I've made it with no loss in texture or flavor. And we're talking a dressed salad here!

Final comment: I've discovered that toasted pine nuts are a great addition to the recipe.

CheesePlease at 12:28PM on 02/27/08

My favorite kale recipe is a simple saute: saute sliced garlic (lots) in olive oil. Add chopped sun-dried tomatoes, red pepper flakes and golden raisins. Add torn kale and season with salt and pepper and add a glug of white wine vinegar to help wilt and brighten the flavor. Cook about 5 minutes until wilted and serve over polenta. Yum!

PhredYammers at 5:23PM on 02/27/08

Today's recipe for roasted chickpeas reminded me that Heidi Swanson recently posted this supernutritious and yummy looking chickpea and kale soup/stew:

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/chickpea-hot-pot-recipe.html

overw8 at 7:13AM on 02/28/08

The way I've been enjoying kale as a meal this winter is in the Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Kale and Miso recipe I posted last week on my blog, Life in Recipes. I think you'll love it. http://lifeinrecipes.blogspot.com/

hrobb at 8:24AM on 03/02/08

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