Tag Archives: kale

Vera’s Kale Salad

Kale is good for you. So are friends. But friends are a lot more fun. This is a repost of a recipe that has made a strong comeback in my repertoire and features kale in its most fun version. But it’s really a shout out to two friends who made a huge difference in the lives of everyone around them.

They are Vera and Nina. Last weekend we celebrated the life of Vera, who spread her unique brand of joy for 89 years. Today, her cousin and BFF Nina—my mother—would have turned 89.

Go to the original post for details on how and why to massage kale. Spoiler alert—it softens it into submission and makes it really, really tasty. The salad did what good recipes do, and transferred title of ownership as it gained a following. Once it landed on Bring It, it became Edie’s Kale Salad, and when my sister Anne brought it to Vera’s, where it played on repeat, it became “Anne’s Kale Salad.”

Vera’s home, an oyster shell’s throw from the harbor, was better known as “The Vortex” for its tendency to draw people in and prevent them from leaving. If you came for a night, Vera immediately campaigned for it to be a weekend, then a long weekend.  Vera’s place reminded me of the home where I grew up, on the other side of the country, where Nina’s smile made everyone feel relaxed, welcome and relevant.  

At Vera’s, this salad sat on the table at many a summer dinner, standing up to the heat and humbly letting the feast of lobster and clams and fresh corn take center stage. It sat there quietly, smiling, like Vera and Nina always did, just happy to be among the good company of friends and family.

This weekend, in honor of two friends who brought out the best in each other and everyone around them, I’m serving up some of Vera’s Kale Salad and Nina’s Margarita Pie. I hope you all have a delicious weekend!

Kale Salad with an egg makes it the main event. A beachy rhubarb spritz makes it a summer all star.

Massaged Kale Salad

Ingredients

1 large bunch kale (curly is best)
1 tsp kosher salt (use a little less if using regular salt)
1/4 medium-small red onion, thinly sliced or diced
1/3 cup chopped toasted almonds or nuts of choice
1/3 cup raisins, currants or dried fruit of choice
1/2 large avocado, diced
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

Method

Soak kale in water to loosen any dirt. Wash individual leaves as you de-stem them (pull leaf away from thickest parts of stem). Shake dry. Be fancy and chiffonade leaves (stack, roll and slice into thin ribbons) and put in a large bowl. Or, be more Edie than Martha and chop it or tear it. Sprinkle salt over kale and, using hands, massage kale for 3-4 minutes. After about a minute you’ll notice a big difference in the leaves – they’ll start to soften and turn a dark green almost as though you were steaming them. When done, drain off any liquid that collects on bottom of bowl (may or may not happen) and set kale aside.

If you are starting with raw nuts…Heat a small sauce pan, toss in whole nuts and toast until nuts start to brown slightly. Shake pan on occasion to brown nuts evenly and to keep from burning them. Walnuts, pecans, filberts or even sunflower seeds are great in this salad too. Remove nuts from pan and give them a rough chop on your cutting board. Add nuts to bowl of kale.

Add diced avocado, onions and raisins to bowl (again, raisins, currants, your fave dried fruit in raisin-sized pieces or whatever you have on hand). Pour olive oil and apple cider vinegar evenly over bowl of goodness, then toss until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed.

           Vera, always fabulous.

Bring It

One of the many beauties of kale is its indestructibility (if that’s a word). You can bring this anywhere in anything, store it wherever and it will not suffer. I have transported it in everything from ziploc bags to salad bowls to recycled takeout containers and it has survived in backpacks for hours before being enjoyed for lunch or aprés ski.

 

Gnocchi Verde

Kale GnocchiI was driving home from a great visit with my family in Connecticut the other day, which is a 4 hour car ride.   This is an easy drive, but one still needs a good plan with books on tape, radio shows, and downloaded podcasts to get you through without too much twitch. I planned it perfectly so that I could listen to a full, uninterrupted hour of Lynne Rossetto Kasper on The Splendid Table. It made one of the four hours pass very quickly (if you don’t know Lynne, go to this link and check it out – she’s great!). I adjusted the sound, sat up straight, and got ready to absorb as much information as I could. There are food experts, new recipes, seasonal fare, cooking lessons, guest questions, and so much more for all the foodies out there. I was psyched!

One of the stories on Lynne’s show that day was how to make kale gnocchi. I thought, I love kale, but I don’t eat gnocchi – it’s too much starch. But if I substitute the kale for the potato in the gnocchi I might be in business. Plus, there are so many recipes for kale salads, kale chips, braised kale, kale with pasta, and so on. But kale gnocchi was something new. So, I listened in and tried to remember the tips and tricks from Lynne’s description of how to make these from scratch.

I got home, picked fresh kale from my garden (PS I love my garden this year – new raised beds are making me very happy!) and got started. It was my first time through so it took a bit of time to make but they are actually very easy and could be thrown together in a flash now that I know the routine. These nuggets are delicious and a fun way to use the abundance of kale out there now.

Eat more kale!

Ingredients

4 lbs. kale (or Swiss chard), ribs removed
5 Tbsp fresh bread crumbs
2 eggs
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp ricotta cheese
1 cup parmigiana-reggiano cheese, plus more for topping
Dash of nutmeg
Salt and pepper
All-purpose flour for dusting
Olive oil (or butter)

Method

Clean kale and remove ribs. Tear into small pieces and blanch in boiling water for 3 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon to ice bath and let cool. Once cool, ring out excess water by squeezing and chop. Set aside.

Put bread crumbs in food processor and processes until finely ground. Add kale, eggs, ricotta cheese, parmigiana-reggiano cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper, and process until mixed well. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

Fill pot with water and bring to gentle boil. Meanwhile, flour work surface and hands, then roll mixture into smallish balls. Drop balls into boiling water (if water is boiling too hard it will break gnocchi apart). Boil for 5-6 minutes and remove with slotted spoon to plate covered with paper towel. Let dry.

Place gnocchi in shallow baking pan, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with cheese. Broil for a few minutes until cheese is melted and just starting to brown. Serve immediately.

YUM!

Polenta with Kale, Balsamic, & Goat Cheese

Stir, stir, stir for a creamy consistency

Stir, stir, stir for a creamy consistency

My friend Teresa is not only a great cook, but she is also my food emergency hotline. If I’m in the kitchen and things are going awry, it is Teresa I get on the line.  She can talk me through any kitchen disaster with her simple tips and tricks.  Teresa has been cooking Italian and teaching Italian for many years.  She is brilliant in the kitchen no matter what the meal, and truly a shining star when it comes to Italian cooking. Teresa wrote a book called Pass the Polenta and so I thought it only appropriate dedicate this post to her.

As Teresa says, “Food is not merely about calories and minimum daily requirements and metabolic pathways.  At its very heart food is about people.” 

I love that quote. At Bring It blog, we are also all about people. Who wants to create all this great food and not have people to share it with, right?  So, bring some polenta and enjoy with friends.  I topped this recipe with sautéed kale, goat cheese, with a balsamic drizzle, but you can top with anything such as ratatouille, chicken stew, roasted vegetables, and the list goes on.

Il cibo è molto meglio con gli amici!

Savory Polenta

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups water
1 cup coarse ground cornmeal
3 Tbsp unsalted butter (I use Earth Balance butter substitute)
1 1/2 tsp salt (I cut back on this amount because the Earth Balance butter substitute is salted)Couple grinds of fresh ground black pepper
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In large, oven-safe saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add onions and salt and sauté until onions are soft and translucent, approximately 4-5 minutes. Reduce heat to low, add garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Be careful not to burn garlic.

Turn up heat to high and add vegetable stock and water. Bring to a boil. Gradually add cornmeal while continually whisking. Once all cornmeal has been added, cover the pan and place in oven for 35-40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes to prevent lumps from forming.  Once mixture is creamy, remove from the oven and add butter, salt and pepper to taste.  Gradually add Parmesan, mix completely. 

Serve as is or pour into 8″ x 8″ or 9″ x 9″ baking pan coated with cooking spray.  Place in refrigerator to cool completely.  Once set, re-heat in 350 degree oven until warmed through, approximate 30 minutes.

Balsamic Drizzle

Ingredients

1 cup Balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup honey

Method

Bring Balsamic vinegar and honey to a boil in a small saucepan.  Once boiling, turn burner to low and let simmer for approximately 10 minutes.  Sauce should reduce by about half or until desired thickness. 

Sautéed Kale

Ingredients

1 large bunch of kale
3 Tbsp olive oil
Salt & Pepper 

Method

Heat olive oil over medium heat in large saucepan.  Turn down heat to medium-low, add kale, salt and pepper.  Sauté kale until wilted and soft, approximate 7-8 minutes.  Turn off heat.

Final Preparation

Take warm polenta out of oven, place kale over top of polenta and drizzle with Balsamic sauce.  Crumble goat cheese on top, cut and serve.  Yum, yum, yum!

Makes for a warm comforting side dish

Makes for a warm comforting side dish

Massaged (and composed) Kale Salad

Massaged Kale Salad

 

I’ve been holding out on you. Not on purpose of course. But somehow, in all this time of being with each other, I still have not shared my absolute favorite, go-to, eat-your-greens-and-feel-like-Popeye kale salad. Massaging may seem like an excessive step to take with your kale (I mean really, is it that deserving?), but trust me—it is a worthwhile technique to have in your repertoire.

This recipe calls just for salt in the massaging process. Other recipes call for olive oil alone or with lemon juice or with the entire dressing. Hey, you’re massaging your kale–it’s not going to complain. Massaging makes raw kale way more friendly, and with a batch of massaged kale at the ready, your options for creating quick, delicious, deconstructed meals soar.

As with other recipes, this is more about technique than hard and fast ingredients and proportions. Live loud and large—mix that kale with something crunchy, something creamy and something sweet and the rest will take care of itself.

Before my cousin Danielle beats me to the punch, I urge those of you who dabble in organic produce to buy organic kale. Danielle, the ultimate caregiver (and least righteous mostly Vegan I know) reminds us that kale is among the “Dirty dozen” of produce items that pack the nastiest pesticide punch. Thanks Little Dan, for always having our backs! (and forgive me for all the gratuitous bacon talk.)

Without further ado I give you:

Massaged Kale Salad

Ingredients

1 bunch kale (I use curly because that’s what we get)
1 t salt
1/4 medium-small red onion, thinly sliced or diced
1/3 cup chopped toasted almonds or nuts of choice
1/3 cup raisins, currants or dried fruit of choice
1/2 large avocado, diced
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

Method

Soak kale in water to loosen any dirt. Wash individual leaves as you de-stem them (pull leaf away from thickest parts of stem). Shake dry. Chiffonade leaves (stack, roll and slice into thin ribbons) and put in a large bowl. (Edie’s note: Chiffonade if you must, but tearing the kale in pieces works just fine and sort of makes me feel like a Tuscan). Sprinkle salt over kale and, using hands, massage kale for 3-4 minutes. After about a minute you’ll notice a big difference in the leaves – they’ll start to soften and turn a dark green almost as though you were steaming them. When done, drain off any liquid that collects on bottom of bowl (may or may not happen) and set kale aside.

If you are starting with raw nuts…Heat a small sauce pan, toss in whole nuts and toast until nuts start to brown slightly. Shake pan on occasion to brown nuts evenly and to keep from burning them. Walnuts, pecans, filberts or even sunflower seeds are great in this salad too. Remove nuts from pan and give them a rough chop on your cutting board. Add nuts to bowl of kale.

Add diced avocado, onions and raisins to bowl (again, raisins, currants, your fave dried fruit in raisin-sized pieces or whatever you have on hand). Pour olive oil and apple cider vinegar evenly over bowl of goodness, then toss until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed.

Kale salad, post massage, fully dressed.

Kale salad, post massage, fully dressed.

Bring It

One of the many beauties of kale is its indestructibility (if that’s a word). You can bring this anywhere in anything, store it wherever and it will not suffer. I have transported it in everything from ziploc bags to salad bowls to recycled takeout containers and it has survived in backpacks for hours before being enjoyed for lunch or apres ski.

Kale and Brussels Sprout Salad

 

Kale and Brussels sprouts

It’s time to put down the candy corn and get your green on

The party is OVER. Bring on the kale!

Harsh, I know. And really, at this point does our world need another kale salad? After tasting this one I can happily say, yes! It’s simple, delicious, healthy, moderately addictive, loves to travel and is just a tad decadent with the cheese and almonds. And it is just the thing to rescue you from the Halloween sugar coma. Not that I’d know anything about that.

I highly recommend dressing this well before serving time. When I first had it at a picnic the salad was dressed and tossed before we went on an hour plus hike. It was perfect.  This originally came from Bon Appetit.

Makes 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp minced shallot
1 small garlic clove, finely grated
1/4 tsp kosher salt plus more for seasoning
Freshly ground black pepper
2 large bunches of Tuscan kale (about 1 1/2 pound total), center stem discarded, leaves thinly sliced. (I have used regular curly kale too and it was great.)
12 ounces brussels sprouts, trimmed, finely grated or shredded with a knife
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/3 cup almonds with skins, coarsely chopped
1 cup finely grated Pecorino

Method

Combine lemon juice, Dijon mustard, shallot, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of pepper in a small bowl. Stir to blend; set aside to let flavors meld. Mix thinly sliced kale and shredded brussels sprouts in a large bowl.

Measure 1/2 cup oil into a cup. Spoon 1 tablespoon oil from cup into a small skillet; heat oil over medium-high heat. Add almonds to skillet and stir frequently until golden brown in spots, about 2 minutes. Transfer nuts to a paper towel–lined plate. Sprinkle almonds lightly with salt.

Slowly whisk remaining olive oil in cup into lemon-juice mixture. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.

Add dressing and cheese to kale mixture (see intro above for timing—the earlier the better); toss to coat. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Garnish with almonds.

Bring It!

Dressing, kale mixture, and toasted almonds can be prepared 8 hours ahead. Cover dressing and kale mixture separately and chill. Cover almonds and let stand at room temperature.

Halloween salad bowl

Goodbye October…

Kale Brussels sprouts salad

…Hello November!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Raw Kale Confetti Salad

massaged-kale-salad

I always thought kale had to be cooked to taste good. What I learned with this salad is – not so much! This raw kale salad is perfect in the summer when you don’t want to turn on the stove. I brought this salad to the last four parties I’ve gone to. It is so easy to make – just raw kale with olive oil, lemon juice, lime juice and ginger massaged into the vegetables to give great flavor. You can use any vegetables on hand. In this version I used carrots, tomatoes, and red onion. This salad is a modified version of a salad in Terry Walter’s Clean Start Cookbook. Her recipes are amazing – click here to check out her website and recipes.

Ingredients

1 bunch of kale
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
¼ tsp sea salt
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and chopped
3 Tbsp finely chopped red onion
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
3 Tbsp toasted sunflower seeds
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp lime juice

Method

Remove stalks from kale and chop leaves into small pieces. Drizzle with olive oil and, using your fingers, massage oil into kale leaves. Sprinkle with salt and ginger, add avocado and massage again. Add other vegetables and sunflower seeds. Drizzle with lemon and lime juice. Add salt and massage one last time to combine. Yum!

Bring It!

You can just put in a bowl and cover with plastic or foil. Remember to bring salad tongs!