| Kale: Fifteen Minutes of Fame | |
by Judy Sobeloff, from the February 2007 newsletter
Co-op Shoppers, I’m guessing you already know a thing or two about the importance of eating dark leafy greens. You probably won’t be surprised to hear that “Mother Earth News” dubbed dinosaur kale “the new star of leafy greens” in a piece entitled “33 Greatest Foods for Healthy Living,” giving it top marks for “nutrient density, flavor and availability.”
Q. Who is the country’s largest consumer of kale?
A. Pizza Hut, where it is used for decorating salad bars.
While kale’s inner beauty may be underappreciated here, that appears not to be the case in Europe, where it has grown since around 600 B.C.E. and was, until the end of the Middle Ages, the most common green vegetable. In northern Germany many communities have yearly kale festivals complete with the crowning of a kale king; in Scotland, kale is such a staple that the word in one dialect means food, and the expression “to be off one’s kail” means to feel too ill to eat.
Funny we should mention feeling ill, because kale evoked such a fight or flight response in me when I was pregnant that it’s a wonder I’m writing about it at all.
My struggles aside, you’re probably wondering about the story behind the story of dinosaur kale’s meteoric rise to fame. A member of the Cruciferae (mustard) family, along with broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts, kale is distinguished by being a non-heading cabbage. So, what about dinosaur kale’s supporting cast, its family members, curly kale and red kale? I don’t know what Curly was thinking, coming to the awards ceremony in such a frilly gown—and I won’t mention how much it must have cost—but I will ask aloud the questions I know must be on everyone’s minds: Is that really Red’s natural color? Is a vegetable still considered green if it’s purple?
I’m not sure what attribute led Humphry Bowen to select kale as a reference material for the calibration of scientific instruments, but in the late 1960s he developed “Bowen’s Kale,” growing, drying, and crushing 100 kg of kale into a “stable and homogenous powder” which was then distributed to researchers around the world (www.guardian.co.uk). Regardless of any bearing this may or may not have on those wishing to use it for culinary purposes, we can feel the resonance of scientific contribution when eating kale if we so choose.
Despite rave reviews of kale for being a good non-dairy source of calcium, as well as of fiber, vitamins, and minerals, on a cautionary note, people with impaired thyroid functioning may wish to limit consumption, as kale contains goitrogens, substances which in high amounts may interfere with thyroid functioning.
If that doesn’t put you off your kail, read on. As one previously kale-phobic, I paid special attention to preparation tips this month, for example, the importance of thoroughly washing kale before using to coax the dirt out from the curly leaves. Cookbook author Mark Bittman notes “only one trick to cooking collards and kale: Make sure you cook them long enough to soften the stems.” While others suggest ditching stems, Bittman advises chopping them and starting to cook them a couple of minutes before the leaves, which he cuts by rolling and then chopping across the roll. Length of cooking time may be a matter of personal preference, as some strive for tenderness whereas others warn of overcooking.
My family test-drove three recipes: Candace Warner’s Marinated Winter Vegetable Salad from The Co-op Cookbook, Roasted Kale with Cheese, and sautéed kale with cranberries. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised at every turn, amazed anew with every bite by how much I was enjoying kale. Its entertainment value was an unexpected bonus as well, as I was able to chop and cook in near-peace while my children, five and nearly three, amused themselves batting each other with the long stalks, described by my daughter as resembling feathers from an old-fashioned lady’s hat.
Neither child, however, ate any kale. Ever the diplomat, my younger child pronounced each dish good but declined to taste more than one bite. “I have something else yummy,” he noted, returning to his mac and cheese.
Marinated Winter Vegetable Salad (adapted from The Co-op Cookbook)
3 cups beets, chopped
3 cups sweet potatoes, chopped
3 cups carrots, chopped
2 cups kale, finely chopped
1-1/2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
1 tsp. basil
Salt and pepper to taste.
Prepare veggies. Steam beets, sweet potatoes, and carrots together until the beets are tender (the sweet potatoes will be very soft but will coat the other veggies as a nice dressing.) While the vegetables are still hot, mix them with the remaining ingredients. Serve immediately or chill and serve cold.
Roasted Kale with Optional Cheese (adapted from www.gapersblock.com)
2 large bunches of kale
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Salt
Grated Gouda or Gruyere or other assertive meltable cheese
Wash the kale thoroughly and tear into palm-size pieces. Discard the stems. Toss the leaves in a very large pot with ½ cup of water and steam for 3-5 minutes until tender but still a bright, deep green. Don’t let them turn olive green and mushy—yuck.
VARIATION ONE, WITHOUT CHEESE: Mix up a basic vinaigrette of balsamic vinegar and olive oil and salt, and drizzle generously over the whole thing.
VARIATION TWO, WITH CHEESE: Layer the leaves with grated cheese in an ovenproof serving dish (shaking off excess water). Add vinaigrette, as described above. Cook under the broiler for 5-10 minutes or until the exposed curly edges of the leaves begin to char and crisp.
Sautéed Kale with Cranberries (by Xan at gapersblock.com)
Sauté sliced garlic and diced red onion in a bit of olive oil; add torn
pieces of kale (sans ribs and stems). After a minute or so, toss a tiny bit
of water or red wine in there to make the kale steam up. Once the water is
gone, add a handful of dry cranberries. When they’re soft and the kale
is bright green, eat with a little salt.
|
Copyright: Copyright on articles, recipes and
images are jointly held by the Moscow Food Co-op and the respective contributors,
except were otherwise noted.
|
For additions or corrections to this page, please contact the Webmaster.
