Let them eat kale

Thursday, December 27, 2007

I’ve been singing the praises of Lacinato kale this week. When I made the kale and lamb sausage on Sunday, I was so excited by its excellent, fresh taste and the fantastic texture...and I plan to use the rest of what I purchased this past weekend to make soup tonight.  It’s really in season right now, and there’s so much you can do with it.

Admittedly, I was anti-kale for a long time.  When I thought of kale, I thought of those stupid looking ornamental kale heads that local office buildings plant in the Winter to give their garden spaces a bit of color in January.  It just didn’t occur to me that kale might be good.

The CSA program I bought into this past Summer included baby kale in a few shares and I tried it.  It was good, but not something I was crazy about.  The cold weather really transforms the taste of kale, though, and right now it’s just amazing!  Better yet, kale is one of the most nutritious vegetables available - it’s high in beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, lutein and zeaxanthin and reasonably rich in calcium.  It’s also an anti-inflammatory, which might be good for those of us with joint issues.  And it’s super easy to grow because it’s generally not bothered by normal cabbage family garden pests.

I’ve been seeing Lacinato kale at lots of farmer’s markets lately.  Sometimes Lacinato kale is called ‘Dinosaur kale’ or ‘Italian heirloom kale’.  In Tuscany, it’s called ‘black kale’.  It has a richer flavor and is more tender than many kale varieties.  It’s delicious!

Not surprisingly, Lacinato kale is super versatile.  You can eat it raw in a salad, and it makes excellent soups and stews.  It can be cooked simply, just sauteed with olive oil...or it can be part of a more complicated dish.  While I plan to make soup out of the kale I have at home right now, I’ll continue purchasing it while I can this Winter.  I’ve been having a hankering for handmade pasta, so I’m thinking it might be a good time to try some kale ravioli.  I haven’t made cheese lately, either, but this recipe for crostini with Lacinato kale and fromage blanc is inspiring me to make a batch!