Adventures in Cooking Our CSA Share: Kale

I was going to make White Bean and Kale soup but the beans just didn't cook.  I'd used the other half of the bag awhile back and they didn't cook either, but then I thought it was the overfilled crockpot.  Nope, just a bad bag of beans--7 hours on the stove did nothing to soften them.  So I had to think of something else to do with the kale, basically the last big bit of our CSA share from last week.

Coincidentally, my new cookbook, Greens Glorious Greens, arrived today, with 140 recipes for leafy green vegetables, from argula to watercress, with common and unheard of varieties in between (mizuna, anyone?).  And there was a recipe in the kale section for which I had all the ingredients on hand--Kale Celery Saute.  And so I did.  It was pretty good, too.  I liked the bite of the celery and red pepper with the chew of the tenderized greens.  And garlic and olive oil, salt and pepper make everything good.  Bud even ate the celery and red peppers (his new favorite), though he wouldn't eat "that green stuff."  Sis didn't even think about it.

I can't wait for next week's share--with more bok choi and lettuce, salad turnips (Hakurei), plus kohlrabi and garlic scapes, curly kale and escarole.  I think my new cookbook has some great idea for some of those.  I can't wait. More later!

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Kale Celery Saute

3/4 lb kale (about 6 cups chopped)

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

2 celery stalks, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced on the diagonal (1 cup)

1 teaspoon minced fresh  garlic

1 hot red cherry pepper, seeded and cut into small dice, or 1/4 cup finely diced sweet red pepper

pinch of salt, or to taste

Wash kale and strip the leaves.  Discard stalks and coarsely chop kale.  Bring 2 cups water tot a boil in a 10-12" skillet that has a tight-fitting lid.  Add the kale and cook, covered, over high heat, stirring occasionally,  until tender, approximately 5 minutes.  Remove and drain.

Rinse out and dry the skillet, then use it to heat the oil over medium heat, lifting and tilting the pan to coat.  Add celery and saute for 3-4 minutes.

Stir in garlic and red pepper.  Cover and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes.  Stir in precooked kale and cook to heat through.  

Season to taste with salt and serve hot. 

Johnna Albi and Catherine Walthers, Greens Glorioous Greens!