Recipes from the Ridge

Kale —Not just a Garnish

No one ever knows what to do with kale or any late-season green for that matter. I don’t grow it only because I couldn’t eat it all myself. But I buy it at local farmers’ markets and enjoy the crunchy green (or purple!) that packs a lot of nutrition. Try it soon!

Mushrooms & Kale
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 T. olive oil
1 cup sliced mushrooms
3 T. stock (or water)
2 lbs. spinach & kale
(mix it up with Swiss chard, too)
1/4 t. black pepper
1/2 t. salt (or to taste)
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
Sauté the garlic in the olive oil until it is soft. Add the mushrooms and cook for one minute —stirring once. Add the liquid, and spinach and kale —with tongs, toss the greens to coat well. Add the feta cheese when serving. Serves four as a side dish.

Tip: chop the kale and add it earlier than the spinach as it takes longer to cook.

Italian Kale
1 lb. sausage or kielbasa
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup water
8-10 kale leaves, washed & chopped coarse
1 fresh tomato, chopped
Grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Slice the sausage and place it in a skillet along with the wine and water —simmer for half an hour. Meanwhile, steam the kale until just wilted —about five to six minutes. Place the kale on a serving platter and top with the sausage, tomato and Parmesan cheese. Serves four.

Acorn Squash & Kale Soup
4 strips bacon, cut up
1 onion, minced
1/2 lb. kale, leaves only, chopped fine
4 cups acorn squash purée
3 cups chicken stock
Salt & pepper

Peel and boil two acorn squash (or halve and steam). Mash the pulp of the squashes or purée in a blender. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a heavy pot until crisp. Remove the bacon to a paper bag or paper towel. Add the onion to the bacon fat and cook until softened. Add the kale and cook for five minutes or until soft. Stir in the squash purée and the chicken stock (or water) and bring to a boil —season with salt and pepper. Garnish the soup with the reserved crisp bacon. Serves four.

Plain Jane Kale
4 lbs. kale
6 cups boiling water
2 t. salt

1/4 cup butter (or olive oil)

Cut off the coarse stems and rinse all the dirt off the leaves. Place in a large pot and pour boiling water over the top of the kale —keep the water boiling. Add the salt, cover and cook for 20 minutes —drain and chop. Toss with butter or any favorite salad dressing —delicious!

Late Fall Stew 1 ham bone 1/2 cup raw rice 4-5 bunches kale, chopped 1 onion, chopped 2 carrots, sliced 2 cups new potatoes (or small ones) 1/2 t. salt 1/2 t. pepper 1 cup heavy cream

Cover the ham bone with water and boil for one hour. Remove the bone and add the meat to the stock. Add the rice, kale, onion, carrots, potatoes, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes and then add the cream and heat through. Serves eight.

Here’s an old recipe I found in a Wyoming rancher’s cookbook —talk about different!

Kale with Oatmeal
6 cups shredded kale
Boiling salted water
1/2 lb. diced bacon
1 onion, chopped fine
Old fashioned oatmeal
Salt & pepper

In a large pot, pour the boiling water over the kale and bring to a boil —cook for five minutes. Add the bacon and onion —cook for one hour. Measure the kale and liquid and add a quarter-cup of oatmeal per cup of kale and liquid. Lower the heat and cook for a half hour or until the oatmeal is cooked —stirring often to prevent sticking. Season with salt and pepper. Serves four. (I have never actually tried this, just thought I’d share it with you.)