Stephen Albert
Kale can be steamed, sautéed, boiled, and simmered. Kale can be tenderized and served in salads or combined with potatoes to make a tasty soup. Kale is a great match with hearty foods such as pork chops, fried catfish, garlicky sausage, and cornbread.
A winter vegetable that goes practically undisturbed even by snow, kale can come fresh harvested to the table in mid-winter in even the most severe climates.
How to Choose Kale
- Select kale with fresh, plump, crisp leaves.
- Avoid kale with limp or yellow leaves.
- Sniff the leaves and avoid those with a strong odor.
How to Store Kale
- Kale will keep in the coldest section of the refrigerator for 2 days. After 3 days of keeping, the flavor of kale will become strong and the leaves will go limp.
- Kale can be frozen after being blanched for 2 to 3 minutes or until the leaves become slightly soft.
How to Prepare Kale
- Before cooking, remove the tough center stalk by folding the leaves in half and ripping the stalk out.
- Wash the leaves in a large bowl of water to dislodge sand and dirt. You can add vinegar or salt to the water to dislodge any insects. Afterward, rinse the leaves under cold running water.
- Don’t dry the leaves before cooking. Use the residual water on the leaves to help wilt the leaves as they cook.
- One pound of kale with stems will serve 2 to 3 people. Without stems, one pound will serve 3 to 4 people.
How to Make Kale Salad
- Tenderize kale with salt before including in a salad.
- Rinse the kale then remove stems that are greater than ¼ inch across.
- Cut the leaves crosswise into ¼ inch strips.
- Sprinkle the leaves with salt and then tenderize (squeeze) them with your hands until moisture begins to sweat out. (Be careful not to add too much salt; taste the leaves to be sure they don’t become salty.
- In a large bowl, mix the leaves with a few tablespoons each of lemon juice and honey; add lemon juice and honey to taste.
- Now the kale is ready to serve, but before you do add slices of any of the following: radishes, avocado, cucumbers, squash, onions, apples, pears, oranges, apricots or raisins, dried cranberries, sun-dried tomatoes, minced shallots, sunflower seeds or nuts.
Kale Cooking Suggestions
- Kale has tough stems that are edible only when young. The stems of mature kale must be removed before cooking.
- Kale can be prepared just as you would spinach.
- Steam the leaves in just the water that remains after they have been washed. Steam only long enough for the leaves to wilt: 3 to 6 minutes.
- Italians steam the kale until tender, then add olive oil, a little garlic, breadcrumbs, and sprinkle it with Parmesan cheese in the last minute or two of cooking.
- The Chinese stir-fry kale with a few slices of fresh ginger root, about 1 minute.
- The strong flavor of kale goes well in soups and stews. In India, kale is often teamed with hot spices.
- Kale is rarely eaten raw because of its strong pungent flavor. Small amounts of raw, young kale can be added to salads to add a spicy note. Young kale can be dressed with oil and vinegar.
How to Steam Kale
- Add a few inches of water to a pot then insert a steamer basket. The water should not touch the bottom of the steamer basket.
- Bring the water to a simmer over medium-high heat.
- Add sliced or kale cabbage and cover.
- Steam for 4 to 5 minutes, until tender.
How to Quick Boil Kale
- Remove stems that are thicker than ¼ inch and wash well.
- Coarsely chop the stems and leaves.
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
- Cook until the leaves are tender and about 5 to 10 minutes
- Drain and serve immediately or plunge into ice water and drain to reheat later.
- Serve hot with butter, olive oil, or vinegar and a spritz of lemon.
How to Simmer Kale
- Remove stems that are thicker than ¼ inch and wash well.
- Coarsely chop the stems and leaves.
- Lightly coat the bottom of a deep saucepan with olive oil and set over medium heat.
- Add seasonings: onions, sliced garlic, bits of chili pepper, or salt and pepper to taste for 1 minute.
- Add the kale and a half cup of vegetable or chicken stock or water.
- Cover and cook until the greens are just wilted, about 5 minutes
- Uncover and cook until the liquid has just evaporated and the leaves are tender.
- Season again to taste and serve hot.
How to Sauté Kale
- Remove stems that are thicker than ¼ inch and wash well.
- Coarsely chop the stems and leaves.
- Heat a skillet or wok over high heat.
- Add a few tablespoons of olive or peanut oil.
- Add the leaves and a bit of minced garlic and cook over high heat stirring constantly until the leaves wilt, about 3 to 6 minutes depending on the heat.
- Season with salt and pepper and add lemon juice or vinegar to taste.
- Serve hot.
How to Make Kale and Potato Soup
This soup is known as caldo verde (green broth) in Portugal.
- Remove the stems from the kale and cut them into strips.
- Peel boiling potatoes and chop them finely.
- Bring 2 quarts of lightly salted water to a boil.
- Add the chopped potatoes, return to a boil, and cook covered for about 2 minutes.
- Add the kale and cook an additional 2 minutes.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve hot; a slice of sausage is often floated on top.
Kale Flavor Partners
- Kale can be seasoned with salt, pepper, onion, garlic, basil, dill, mace, nutmeg, allspice, mustard, parsley, sage, rosemary, or thyme
Kale Nutrition
- Kale provides ample amounts of vitamins A and C, folic acid, calcium, and iron.
Get to Know Kale
- The leaves of curly kale are arranged in a bouquet-like fashion. They grow from 12 to16 inches (30-41 cm) long and are deep-green tinged with shades of blue or purple.
- Kale is a non-heading member of the cabbage family—very similar to collards except with a different shaped leaf.
- Curly leaved kale varieties—sometimes called curly kale or borecole–are the most commonly eaten. Flat leaved or plain kale varieties are too coarse and rigid to enjoy at the table.
- Kale originated in the Mediterranean region and has been in cultivation for more than 2,000 years. The name kale is derived from the Greek kaulos, meaning stem.
- From the late Middle Ages, kale was known as cole or colewort in England. Kale or kail is the Scottish name.
- The French call kale chou frisé (curly cabbage); the Germans call it krauskohl (crispy cabbage); the Italians call it cavalo arricciato (curled cabbage); and the Spanish call kale col rizada (curly cabbage).
The botanical name for kale is Brassica oleracea var. acephala. (The Latin term for “without a head” is alcephala.)
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