Much more to kale

L e t ' s h e a r i t f o r K a l e !

by Innes Hope

Which Kale to choose

Curly Kale

is the variety you will most likely find in supermarkets and vege stalls. It hails from Scotland, and has stiff strong leaves curling tightly in all directions, making it a bit fiddly to wash.

Russian Kale

has flatter leaves, making it faster to wash. Mature bunches need to be wrapped and cool-stored after picking to prevent it wilting which is why it is usually only grown to baby-leaf stage for mesclun mixes. The stem and back of the leaf is purple and leaf edges have a blush of lavender. Its flat leaves make it the easiest kale to prepare and to dry into kale flakes and chips.

Cavolo Nero

an Italian ‘black’ kale with stiff ‘bubbly’ looking leaves, is sometimes called Dinosaur kale. It is stiff and stores well. Surprisingly, it is easy to eat raw when chopped finely in a salad.

How to Nail Kale

Whether you’re cooking, drying, baking or blending some kale into your smoothie, always begin by removing the centre stems. Try using a small amount of kale at first in soups or casseroles, to get used to the taste and texture.

People are used to ‘melting’ greens like spinach, chard & silver beet, which ooze their juices and are limp when cooked. Kale is a ‘dry’ leafy-green, (not leaking its juices). It can be soft but, depending on variety, freshness, leaf maturity, and cooking method, it is sometimes tough which is off-putting - sometimes the case when we first cook it at home. Choose fresh, young kale as the leaves are the most tender. The great thing about loaded kale is that being finely chopped, it is easy to chew.

For salads, some chefs recommend massaging kale leaves to soften them. Try that if you want. But if the leaves are finely cut for a salad, or finely chopped in a food processor, massaging is unnecessary.

How to Fine-Cut

A classic Chiffonade cut shreds it into strips, then cross-cut …

1. Stack a few de-stemmed leaves, then push your hand firmly on the stack and roll it into a tight roll. Find a good sharp knife. 2. Holding the roll firmly together, cut it across the middle of the widest part of the roll. Turn & cut in middle again so the roll is now in four strips. 3. Still holding it firmly, cut it into thin slices along the full length of the roll. It will release small squares or rectangles of cut kale onto the chopping board as you go. Viola!

LOADED GREENS

Dense, rich mouth-feel, extra-healthy super-greens …

Loaded’ usually means extra ingredients are piled on top of a dish as a garnish, or it’s a rich, enhanced, usually more expensive version of ordinary fare, e.g. ‘Loaded Fries’ – no thanks! It can also imply the dish is loaded with more nourishment than usual. If the family is ho-hum about greens, ‘loaded’ greens might just be the answer. by Innes Hope

INGREDIENTS

1 lrg bunch

1 - 2 Tbsp kale - any variety - or a mix of kale and silverbeet. tahini a little salt and lemon juice sesame seeds to decorate

Loaded greens are a fabulous filling for a cottage pie or small savouries. The seeds on top will warn people with a sesame allergy since the tahini is not visible. METHOD

1. Wash the greens and de-stem. Cut into small pieces. Steam or boil 5-10 mins. 2. Drain the greens & chill the liquid for later use as vegetable stock. If you’ve no food processor, slash the greens a bit more in the pot, then move to step four. 3. If you have a processor, use tongs to transfer the hot kale into it, (set up with its ‘S’ blade). Process, stopping to push any stranded bits into the mixture, (use a spatula). 4. Add salt & lemon to taste, and chop again, if necessary, until the texture is fine. 5. Blend the tahini into the greens; it helps lighten the colour and bind the mixture. 6. Reheat if necessary. Scatter sesame seeds on top. Serving size = ¼ - ½ cup.

Potato-Topped Loaded kale – Perfect Comfort food! | by Innes Hope In medieval England, pastry ‘pyes’ were portable, edible containers for a worker’s lunch. And yes! – the aristocracy sometimes filled the pastry with magpie pigeons! But cottage pies, (shepherd’s pies), have been pastry-free since 1791 when they became popular. The whole point is that cooks could make this wholesome.

BASE INGREDIENTS

1 lrg bunch 1-2 Tbsp 1 1/2 cups 1-2 tsp

kale - any variety tahini cooked brown lentils (1 can) each of flour & mixed herbs soy sauce, salt & lemon juice to taste.

TOPPING INGREDIENTS

1/2 kg regular potatoes plant milk for the mash hummus to taste (optional) salt to taste (optional)

METHOD 1. Wash & peel the potatoes. Put them on to boil. 2. Wash the kale and strip the stems out. Loosely chop, or, if you don’t have a food processor, cut the leaves ‘cross-chiffonade’ style, very finely. Steam or boil it for about 10 mins. 3. When the potatoes are soft, drain them and set them aside. 4. Drain the kale. If you have a food processor, set it up with its ‘S’ blade, put the cooked kale in, and process, stopping to push any stranded bits into the mixture. Pick out any stringy veins if you notice any large ones. Add lemon juice, soy sauce or salt to taste then process again until you like the texture. Blend the tahini into the kale at the end; it helps hold the greens together. 5. If you don’t have a food processor, stir the lemon juice, soy sauce and tahini into your hand-cut, cooked kale, and mix it well. 6. Mash the potatoes adding some plant milk. Mix in some hummus to taste if you want the mash even creamier. Add salt if needed – not too much as there’s already soy sauce in the kale. 7. Lentils: if canned, drain & thoroughly rinse them. Stir the flour and mixed herbs into the lentils, together with a pinch of salt if you wish. Heat until it thickens, then spread the lentils over the bottom of a wide, shallow casserole-type oven dish. 8. Cover lentils with kale and top with mashed potato. Grill 2-3 mins to crisp the top.

Tips

Leftover Loaded Kale is fine to use, as the kale layer in this pie is also ‘loaded kale,’ see p. 32 You can use something like nutmeat or readymade mince instead of lentils. ‘Bean Supreme’ Wholefood Mince is delicious and not highly refined. Grind some black pepper over the top when serving to make it look classy. Store any leftover pie in the fridge. It reheats easily, retaining its shape & flavour.