I cooked Kale last night with a bit of Olive oil in a pan.
Is it just me that finds it very coarse and hard to stomach?
Ive read all about its superfood properties but its not really doing it for me.
Are the kale chips as good as people say? Has anyone made them?

Vanessa

A lot of people say this about kale, but I've never found it to be the case. What kind of kale are you using?

We grow green curly kale and cavolo nero (black kale). With each kind you need to strip the leafy parts away from the spines and discard thespines, which are tough and inedible.

With curly kale I just boil it in salted water until it wilts, about 5 minutes, drain and dress with butter. Cavolo nero is sturdier and is better braised with onions, garlic, maybe anchovies, for about 30 minutes.

I have made them but totally unimpressed. I don't know what there is to like about them. No flavour, crunchy first off, then I'm left with chewy stuff to which I find the only flavour is the oil and salt they've been dressed with. I bought the kale, so I have no idea at what stage of maturity the chips are made. Being a farmer's wife and mainly thinking of kale as a stock food, I guess I could view it a bit suspiciously, but then turnips are also grown as a stock food and I have no hesitation in eating them, so I don't think it's my attitude of being 'stock food' which as put me off kale. I know kale is good for us, but I won't be making chips again.

The thought of attempting to make broccoli chips appeals to me much, much more.
Regards,
Dawn.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/09/2015 11:56PM by Dawn.

Im not sure the type of Kale but it was green and curly and yes I did only leave the leaves. Maybe Ill try boiling first then pan frying them. Kale chips - hmmm im not that motivated to try making them now. I read that someone mentioned they were almost as good as chips - Ha Ha not likely!
Vanessa

I grow cavalo nero and another kind whose name I can't quite remember - it's a pale green with a frilly, pinkish edge to it. The latter one is only just getting to a usable stage so I don't know yet what it's like, but I do like the cavalo nero. So far I haven't used it as a side dish like silver beet or spinach, but it's very nice chopped into a stir fry or sautéed a little and then added to a vegetable bake. I have another couple of recipes that I've made several times and really enjoy: a lovely chicken and kale soup and another where the kale is cooked in a pan with bacon, eggs and mushrooms. When I get a bit of free time I'll type those recipes and post them on here.

I think it is totally over rated, based on trying it a few times in different ways. I'd rather have silverbeet, and I think they are probably pretty similar nutritionally too. Haven't made chips, as I suspect they'd taste pretty much like dehydrated slightly burnt grass with salt and oil.

I can't be bothered with kale chips - they just taste of the oil they were fried in.

Another leafy vegetable that we grow is Amaranth, a variety called Mekong Rd. It is delicious cooked, like a juicy mild spinach, and the plants seem to tolerate drought very well. I prefer it to kale.

Apparantly the seeds of amaranth have a similar nutritional value as quinoa. I believe they are related. The seeding plant after flowering is quite attractive too, being long tendrils with the seeds neatly stacked around the hanging stems. It's gluten-free, too.

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I love kale chips, they're so easy to make (thank you, Airfryer) and I like the slight grassy flavour combined with a bit of salt. They're more robust than silverbeet chips. They don't keep however; you have to eat them at the very least on the same day that you make them. I like raw baby kale.

I absolutely love kale. I sauté it in olive oil with a little butter added and plenty of finely chopped garlic. A few drops of lemon juice and a small sprinkling of grated lemon rind on top tastes very nice. Also a little bit of finely diced preserved lemon added at the end is lovely. If I do that, then I omit the lemon juice and rind.

I have made a massaged kale salad before which was ok but I mostly use kale in juices.

I don't mind a little bit of baby kale but I prefer Silver Beet or Chard or Spinach.

Baby kale can be used in a salad. It might be okay in a green smoothie too.

I have made the kale Chips and I would not bother again.