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I found a really good recipe for kale salad which I will share below. I know a lot of people eschew kale because they don’t like to chew kale. It is one of those hardy greens that takes some preparation to be delectable. But we should eat kale because it is good for us, also-called superfood.
Humans have a long history with this vegetable. According to Waverley Root’s ever-so-entertaining tome, Food, it may be one of our first garden veggies:
Kale may well have been the first form of CABBAGE to be cultivated. It was almost certainly one of the varieties of the versatile cabbage family known to the ancients, though it is not always easy to match their names for plants to the ones we use today.
He goes on to say that kale is mostly cultivated in northern climes and is especially favored by the Scots. Ah, the Scots! Atlas Obscura has this interesting article:
Scottish Singles Used to Spend Halloween Picking Kale
The leafy green once foretold the future.
ON THE EVE OF HALLOWEEN, the old lore goes, the veil between worlds grows thin. Spirits walk the earth; magical forces are particularly potent. And to mark and make the most of this spooky-special time of year, Scottish youths sneak onto local farms or into their neighbors’ gardens at midnight, blindfold each other, pull stalks of kale from the ground, then read them, analyzing their length and girth, the quality of their cores and taste, and the amount of dirt caked onto them, to divine what kind of partner they’ll marry. Or at least many did until around the early 1900s.
This was just one of several magical, kale-based Halloween rituals practiced across the British Isles. According to folklorists, some individuals hung kale over their door overnight, then placed it under their pillow the next to prompt prophetic dreams. Children who wanted a sibling could place a stalk of kale outside their parents’ door to nudge a sibling into being. Irish families in particular stuck charms into the colcannon, a potato, cabbage, kale, and onion mash they served on Halloween. Whoever found a ring charm would marry within the year, while whoever found a thimble charm would be a spinster. A woman could also scoop the first and last spoonful into a stocking and hang it over her door—the first man to walk beneath it the following day was destined to be her husband.
The nature and popularity of kale-based rituals likely varied over time and space, notes Celtic studies professor and folklorist Juliette Wood. Regardless, it seems clear that until relatively recently, at least in this one corner of the world, kale was not so much a superfood, as it has been branded in the United States, but an occasionally supernatural food.
Who knew? Supernatural greens!
Okay...salad. The key to making really good kale salad is, once you have separated the leafy parts from the stems (which are not used) is to chop the leafy parts very small. Then you massage them. Take your rings off, put your clean hands in the bowl and really squish the kale. Knead it like bread dough. The kale will begin to get a silky texture and start to turn a darker green — in fact, the pieces will look as if you have cooked them a bit. I like the so-called “dinosaur kale” for this — but the curly kind works well, too.
This recipe is from Everyday Detox: 100 Easy Recipes to Remove Toxins, Promote Gut Health, and Lose Weight Naturally [A Cookbook] by Megan Gilmore, a book and author I recommend. I am paraphrasing her directions here (my words).
No-Fail Kale Salad
1. Make the dressing. Put ¼ cup lemon juice, ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons honey (raw honey if possible) or maple syrup, 1minced clove of garlic, and ¼ tsp salt in a small jar with a lid. Shake it up! Set aside while you make the salad.
2. Take 1 lb of kale, separate the leafy parts and chop the leaves small. Smaller is better. Put the chopped kale in a large bowl.
3. Add to it ¼ red onion, diced. Shred two carrots and add them, too.
4. Shake the dressing again and pour it over the salad. Now massage it all! Squeeze those greens! Work them for a few minutes until they are nice and silky.
5. Toss in ½ cup golden raisins and ½ cup slivered almonds. Mix well and refrigerate until ready to serve if not serving immediately. Serves four. This sturdy salad will keep for three days in the fridge.
You can also play with this recipe — use other dried fruits or nuts.
For the Instant Pot users among us, here is a side dish or vegetarian main dish that is a cousin to the aforementioned colcannon. Pressure cooking tenderizes kale really well — although it is still wise to chop the kale small. This is from The "I Love My Instant Pot®" Recipe Book: From Trail Mix Oatmeal to Mongolian Beef BBQ, 175 Easy and Delicious Recipes by Michelle Fagone (a go-to cookbook that I love). Once again, I will paraphrase the recipe in my own words. (If you have an Instant Pot, you will want this book.)
Bavarian Kale and Potatoes
1. Using the sauté function, sauté in 1 tablespoon olive oil for 3-5 minutes:
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 stalk of celery, diced
Add and cook for one minute:
Turn off the sauté function. Add in layers, kale on top:
- 4 medium potatoes, peeled (if you like) and diced
- 2 bunches kale, washed, stems removed (discard stems), and chopped
Pour over:
Lock lid. Cook under high pressure for 5 minutes. Let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes then quick-release remaining pressure. Drain broth (if you want...I don’t).
Stir in:
- 2 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp caraway seeds
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Slightly mash the potatoes. Garnish each serving with a tablespoon of sour cream.
Makes four servings.
If you are not a vegetarian, this would be good with grilled sausages or a slice of ham. If you are not a vegetarian, you could also use chicken broth in the recipe instead of vegetable broth.
Got a favorite kale recipe? Please share it!
The weekend begins now. Come in, be comfortable, and share your day, your weekend plans, your menus! This is an open thread.