What is kale and how to eat it: recipes and recommendations

What is kale or kale

The kale or curly or curly cabbage is a variety of cabbage which, far from being fashionable, has come to stay in our gastronomic repertoire. It is a brassica, that is, It is from the broccoli family. cauliflower and collard greens, only unlike the first two what we eat are the leaves, not the flower heads.

It is very curious because its leaves are hard, nothing to do with the delicacy of chard or spinach. Despite this, it is not hard and fibrous, but rather tender and juicy when we cook it.

The varieties of kale that are most easily found in markets and greengrocers are those with curly leaves, but there are also bulging and flatter leaves. Each one provides a different texture when eaten. Today I would like to show you some ways to cook kale so that you have ideas for Use it in all kinds of recipes.

Kale or raw kale

Kale can be eaten raw. raw kale goes with almost all kinds of flavors, both sweet and salty, sour and bitter, so don’t be afraid to serve it in a salad with apple, lemon, raisins, carrots, corn, etc. And dress with creams like tahini or peanut butter.

Tips for eating kale raw: As the leaves are quite hard, what we will do first, after washing it, is to remove the hard stems and we will be left with only the leaves. Cut them into smaller pieces and put them in a bowl. Sprinkle with a little salt and mix by hand. In this way we will give a little massage to the leaves, which will become more tender and very pleasant for salads, accompaniments, etc., raw.

With raw kale too we can make a good pesto sauce. You just have to replace the basil (or a good part of the basil) with kale leaves cut into pieces and beat it all together with the blender. A pesto with a fresh aroma and flavor remains, which goes with everything.

baked kale

One of the most popular ways to make kale is in crunchy chips.

For this, all we have to do is dry the pieces of leaves so that they lose moisture and they become crunchy.To make kale chips, dry the leaves very well after washing them, cut them into medium-large pieces and put them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.Drizzle the pieces with olive oil (much better if you use an oil spray) and sprinkle with salt and the spices you want (for example oregano, cumin or basil). Bake it in a preheated oven at 175º C for about 10 minutes. Keep an eye on it so they don’t burn and take it out when you see that the pieces are dry. Let it cool on the tray itself.

Kale in the pan

You can also make kale chips in the pan, sautéing them from time to time, to serve as an accompaniment to any dish. They are not as dry as baked, but they are very juicy. It’s a a good complement to rice dishes, cereals in general, etc.

Tips for cooking kale in the pan. Kale can be stir-fried with many other ingredients, cutting it into smaller pieces. For example with chickpeas, lentils or beans, with vegetables such as peppers and zucchini, or with cereals such as quinoa and rice. In this way we will have a much more complete dish in the same time, sautéing everything together.

Stews, stews and stews with kale

Kale is a very interesting vegetable for include in stews, stews and casseroles. We can use it instead of (or together with) chard or spinach in any type of legume stew, stew with potatoes, curry, etc.

Tips for cooking kale in stews: As it has a thicker texture than other vegetables, it is not undone by the broth, but we can savor it together with the rest of the ingredients that we add. All we have to do is add the kalechopped in the last 8-10 minutes of cooking of the dish we are preparing, or brown it in a separate pan and add just before serving.

Kale or kale creams and purees

Although it is not the most common way to cook it, we can include kale or kale in our vegetable and vegetable creams and purees. For example It goes very well in zucchini creams, pumpkin and mashed potatoes, cauliflower and parsnip. I like to chop it finely, sauté with garlic and olive oil and mix with the mashed potatoes to enrich it.

Tips for cooking kale in creams and purees. In the case of creams, it is not usually the main ingredient because it has a fairly strong flavor, but it can be incorporated into almost any cream that we prepare. You can always add one or two leaves (without the stem, cut into medium pieces) when you are making a cream, especially with autumn and winter ingredients.