So Kale Me Maybe
On October 4, 2014 by Speranza
I have a bit of a weekly tradition surrounding kale. As everyone knows, kale is a superfood chock full of vitamins, anti-oxidants and fibre but honestly that sharp, bitter after-snap taste taste in a frigid breakfast smoothie is just too unfriendly for me to bear first thing in the morning. (Plus that thick, brilliant green reminds me of verdant pond scum or extra-terrestial poo … ) Yet many Sunday afternoons (usually around 4pm when I am composing earnest menu plans for the following week, often whilst enjoying some kettle chips and a glass of Chardonnay) – I will revisit the notion of kale and end up purchasing a large, frilly bouquet of the stuff which then sits resentfully in the crisper, eyeing me each time I open the fridge door. (By Thursday the kale is a limp, browner version of its former self and to assuage my guilt, I throw it onto the compost heap with the others).
And yet I hear my bright-eyed, marathon-running co-workers extolling its values with all the zeal of a tent revival (have I tried adding apple? A touch of sweetness will make all the difference!) and I feel shamed into trying again because who amongst us does not want to be healthier in a world where random illness seems to lurk around every corner and the illusion of some feeble kind of control (Kale=good) is appealing.
I try baking the kale. This is quite tasty – much better than the smoothie in fact – but how can there be any goodness left in it? “Kale Dust” would be a better title because essentially, this is autumn leaves with kosher salt. But I digress.
There is a happy kale ending. Although I feared that strong bitter taste would transmit to a soup this is absolutely not the case. I discovered this recipe for Kale and Chickpea Soup and with a bit of tweaking the results were delicious (just needed more red pepper flakes and a really generous goodly squeeze of lemon). Plus, it freezes magnificently. Whizzing everything up at the end is a must and although the results are still emerald green, you can feel the goodness as you eat.
I would not lie to you.
I did jump on the kaleish wagon some time ago, by drying the vermin green in a dehydrator and following to a “T”, the instructions of a 20 minute Youtube video of the making kale chips. “Better than potato chips’, they said. They lied. By loading the limp leaves with an ample blend of apple cider vinegar, pure sesame oil and a heart stopping wallop of sodium in the form of alderwood smoked salt, I ended up with a nearly palatable snack which left enough tiny green deposits on my teeth to render a professional dental cleaning. No more kale.
Right?
Your “They lied” made me laugh. Thanks for this Bruce :>