Lacinato Kale
Lacinato kale, also known as black kale, Italian kale, and dinosaur kale, is everyone’s favorite, the top seller at farmers markets. The rumply leaves are savoyed like its savoy cabbage cousin and are perfect for holding cooking juices or salad dressings, and the narrow rounded leaves are easy to chop straight down the bunch.
How do I cook with kale?
Kales are super hearty greens of the Brassica family, greens that can withstand Siberian winters and come out sweeter on the other side. Although there are many ways to enjoy these greens, kale is very interchangeable. No matter what variety you have, they can all be enjoyed very simply by roughly chopping them and cooking them in a frying pan with a little oil or butter, salt, garlic, and any other seasoning you like. They are also delicious in quiches, omelets, or served on the side of meats and a starch. They cook down to be tender with a rich savory flavor, can be made into crispy kale chips, or added to your fruit smoothies for a little extra green in your day. And if you struggle with your greens going bad before you get to them, check out this great trick from the one and only Julia Turshen on Instagram!
Should I cut the stem off when cooking with kale?
I personally leave the midrib in whenever I’m cooking with kale, but really it comes down to your preference and goals with the dish that you’re making. If I’m feeling fancy, I’ll go ahead and remove the stems for a smoother, creamier dish, but that’s pretty rare. The stems are sweet like broccoli stems, it’s super quick to just forget about it and chop them in, and you’re getting more for your money’s worth. As always, there are no rules, just do what feels right to you—chopper’s choice!
Why do kales get sweeter in the winter?
While some crops wilt after the first hard frost of the year, others—like kale—thrive in freezing temperatures. Just like the popsicle in your freezer won’t be as solid as the ice cubes due to the sugars dissolved in the water, winter greens keep their cells from freezing and bursting (dying) by producing sugars, making them a seasonal treat to be enjoyed in their prime! Honestly, I really don’t eat much kale in the summer months when there are so many other fresh foods to enjoy that are in their prime in the heat. The greens tend to have a less sweet, less pleasant flavor, with woodier stems in the summer. Once the weather gets cooler, that’s when I start craving kales and using them on the daily.
Kale Recipes
Every winter our crew heads out to muddy fields to harvest robust kale greens. With mud-brick boots and full rain gear, we wade through the rows and quickly pluck leaves to form perfect bunches. Larger damaged leaves are removed from the plant, medium-sized perfect leaves are harvested for the bunches, and smaller leaves are left to grow. Harvesting specialty organic produce is incredibly labor intensive and skilled work.
Recipe by Brita from Food with Feeling