Greens Day: Kale

By popular demand, I'd like to start the Greens Day series with my favorite leaf, Kale. Sometimes I see it as a garnish on fruit trays, and I want to say, "Bitch, pleeze. That there is good stuff." But they don't know...they don't know.

Kale's health benefits include: Vitamins C, K, calcium, anti-inflammatory properties and anti-oxidants.

So the other night, I washed up a big batch (excuse the image quality--digital camera is en route, in the meantime making due with the Razr).

And here's what I did with it. I originally got this method of cooking from Alton Brown, but I added some stuff.

You need:

Bushel of kale (2 if you want leftovers)
3 cloves of garlic
About a tablespoon of olive oil (or grapeseed oil or vegetable oil)
Salt
Pepper
1/4 to 1/2 cup of water
Soy sauce
1/2 Lemon
1/4 cup White wine (optional--can substitute Plum wine vinegar, red wine, something comparable.)

Getcha a big thing of kale (above is the leafy green kind, but there's also lacinato kale--which is pretty tasty, cooks quicker and is less intimidating to clean). This is a huge amount--you could buy half this. I wash every leaf individually, because if there's one thing Esther has planted in my head, it's that greens have bugs. And then, I wash it all again.

Then get a huge pot--the biggest pot you have. Put on stove over medium high heat. Crush up one or two cloves of garlic. (Really get in there and hammer it with a big knife.)

Add olive oil to pot. Add salt and pepper (to taste). Add crushed garlic. Let it sizzle, but don't let it burn. Lower heat if necessary. You're really making garlic oil here.

After about two minutes, add the kale. It's going to sizzle big time, so use a pair of tongs to move it around. Especially move the bottom leaves to the top, and vice versa. If it looks like the kale is overflowing in your pot--don't worry. It cooks down a lot. Add about quarter to half cup of water to help it steam.

So, keep the leaves circulating for about 5-8 minutes on medium heat. You can cover the pot to let it steam a little more (just make sure it doesn't burn, look to see if its getting soft). Once it's pretty soft and almost done--you'll see it gets much greener--add soy sauce. I usually eyeball it, but i'd say 1/4 of a cup. Add more black pepper. Let it steam for 2 more minutes.

THEN--this is the great part--CHOP the remaining garlic and add it to the pot. You can add the white wine here too. And if you don't have white wine in the house, you can use Plum Wine Vinegar or red wine.

Let it steam for a little longer--maybe 2 minutes and finally add the lemon juice. I usually use half a lemon and it does the trick, but add more if you feel like it. You can make the heat very low at this point and let it sit a little longer. Just try a piece and see if its chewable for you. Don't let it get too soggy. I like to have it as a side with wild salmon and rice. It's also great with chicken and sweet potato.

The finished product should be freaking flavorful, garlicky and delicious. If it isn't, write me with questions.