or How to Fall in Love With Kale
The key is to bake the kale on low heat (I cooked one batch 30 minutes at 170F and another for 60 minutes). I like the warm wilty-but-crispy-around-the-edges version, while Scott prefers the cooled crispy-all-the-way-through version. Your choice.
- 1 bundle of kale, any kind, torn into 3″ pieces
- olive oil
- seasoning
Put the torn kale in a 9×13 baking dish. The seasoning, of course, can be just about anything. Try Mexican, Mediterranean (olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper), Indian, barbecue, and more. I used a spicy Thai sauce packet from a packaged ramen bowl in my pantry. I drizzled olive oil over the leaves, dotted them with the fiery sauce, and then sprinkled salt and pepper on top before tossing the mixture lightly. Bake as above.
Serves 2 to 4 … or just 1 if you get there first.
A note on the origin of this recipe: Credit goes to Marti Lomen from Ivrea, Italy, who helped me plant kale starts in March 2020. I’d never before planted a spring vegetable garden (always too busy planting pansies to even consider vegetables), but with Marti’s excellent company and ready shovel, we turned a struggling dry, partial-shade flower bed into a thriving kale forest that feeds neighbors, snails and us. (Actually, the snails prefer the nearby cabbage and leave the kale alone.) Try this: a checkerboard planting of lacinato and curly kale, bordered by purple cabbage. Beautiful!