Kale to the Chief!

Cafe Society
1

I bought a bunch of curly kale for the soup I made last weekend. I still have a ‘bunch’ left. The only other time I use kale is when I’m making colcannon, and I really don’t feel like having potatoes for a while. So what do I do with the rest of the kale? I could just boil it in water and salt, put it in zip-top bags, and store it in the freezer until I need it. I could boil it with a ham hock or bacon, put it in zip-top bags, and store it in the freezer until I need it.

No ‘chiefs’ in this thread. The title was just whimsy.

2

I just knew this had to do with yesterday’s NFL trade deadline.

3

Well, if you’re not in the mood for potatoes you might not enjoy it, but my husband makes a delicious (and ridiculously simple) dish of balsamic glazed kale & potatoes. He cuts up potatoes into approx. 1" cubes (red or russet works fine), roasts them for a bit with some sea salt, then sautes the kale for a couple of minutes until it gets soft, adds the potatoes to the saute pan, drizzles a nice balsamic over it all, and sautes for another couple of minutes to let the balsamic reduce a bit. Very little active time, and a nicely elegant side dish.

For a snack, I also like to steam a bit of kale in the microwave (a lidded, vented bowl with a bit of water will do it in about 30 seconds) and mix it up with some alouette cheese or other sort of creamy, spreadable cheese. I eat that with chips or carrots.

4

Ha! Completely inadvertent. What are the odds?

5

I use kale in my zuppa toscana (like the soup at Olive Garden but better)

Brian

6

I love this recipe. Jacques Pepin’s Crunchy Kale.

7

I haven’t been to an Olive Garden in years and years. Is that the creamy soup with the sausage in it? If so, I’d love the recipe.

8

That’s what I was coming in to post, or a variation of it, anyway.

I have a bunch of kale sitting in my fridge that I bought specifically to use to make this. It’s unbelievably awesome.

9

Not bad. 250 and 20 didn’t make it crunchy enough, so I upped the heat and time. I’ll remember this one.

10

Yes, thats the soup. Recipe follows:

1 lb ground pork
2 cups (1 large) onion, chopped (1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces)
4 slices bacon (I prefer thick cut)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder (cayenne works also)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
6 cups chicken broth *
4 small red potatoes 1/4 cubes skin on **
2 cups greens ***
1 cup whipping cream

In a bowl: Mix pork and spices – cover and refrigerate overnight

1)In your soup pot , cook up the bacon (I cut it up into 1/4 squares
before), then remove bacon
2)Cook pork and onion in bacon drippings untill meat is brown and onion is
tender (8-10 minutes)
3)Drain off fat, add broth, bring to boil
4)Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes
5)Add potatoes and greens, return to boil and cook covered 15-20 min (until
spuds are done)
6)Add bacon and cream
7)Stir and serve

  • You can stretch the # of servings by having more broth – I have used 8 cups
    ** or more, can’t have too many potatoes (think I use 6 B sized spuds)
    *** my recipe says spinach, but I prefer kale
    I chop said greens up in 1/4 inch sqaures (lots of those in this recipe)

Brian