Adventures in Cooking Our CSA Share: Extra Eggplant

I have eggplant coming out of my ears! And am on my fourth batch of ratatouille in recent weeks, so much so that I can do it without consulting a recipe, which is rare for me. And so, I was glad to see The Minimalist's post on Baba Ganoush, the Middle Eastern, smoky eggplant dip often paired with hummus and tabbouleh. I think I'll pull out the indoor grill and use up some eggplant this way.

Otherwise, I have lots of peppers, which are too spicy for me, and yet more kale. I'm going to be trying crispy or roasted kale, the recipe for which I've seen now in a few places. Thanks for Rev. M for the recipe below!

And I'm behind with using this week's box, so, if you read this and live near me, give a holler and I'll give you some vegetables!

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Crispy Kale

Roasted Kale with Sea Salt

• 4 cups firmly-packed kale
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp. good-quality salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cut the stems off the kale and discard; rinse and shake the leaves dry. Stack the leaves and cut them crosswise into strips about 1 inch wide. Put the kale in a big bowl and drizzle with enough olive oil to coat well (about 2 tablespoons). Toss the leaves. Spread the kale on a large rimmed baking sheet and pop it in the oven. Set the bowl aside without washing it.

Roast kale until some of the leaves are tinged with brown, about 7 minutes. Remove baking sheet and stir kale around (tongs are the best tool for this), then put it back in the oven for up to another 5-15 minutes, stirring every five or so, until all the leaves are crisp. Immediately put the leaves back in the bowl you first tossed them in, then drizzle with another tablespoon of oil and a few splashes of vinegar. Toss kale with the tongs, taste, and add more oil, vinegar, or salt as needed. Toss again and serve right away.