Fun with Kale: Fry the Suckers

Fun with Kale: Fry the Suckers

We’ve been getting a bunch of kale in with our weekly boxes from Genesis Growers. These allotments are on the smallish side -- almost too small to justify boiling water -- so The Wife and I have been “frying” them.

We just lay the leaves in a pan, spray them with olive oil, and bake at 350 for maybe 8-10 minutes. The leaves crisp up, the flavors are fresh, and we now look forward to a handful of kale in every CSA care package.

I got to believe that a similar technique could be used for other leafy greens (though I wouldn’t try it with romaine ).

Hammond

Molly Katzen has a fairly well-known oven-roasted kale recipe. She calls for coarsely chopping it (and removing the stems), then baking it for 15-25 minutes until bright green and crisp. You can top it with parmesian after it comes out of the oven, or leave as is. I find I can easily eat an entire bunch of kale--by myself--in a day when cooked this way. It's delicious, makes a great snack food and is super-healthy.

for the great tip on the kale. I spritzed some olive oil on the leaves, and then when they came out of the oven, sprinkled with sea salt and fresh pepper. Very tasty, and I wolfed down a LOT of kale. It made me feel very virtuous, and was definitely at least 2 servings of vegetables for the day!

Is this what they do at TAC quick?

tcdup wrote:for the great tip on the kale. I spritzed some olive oil on the leaves, and then when they came out of the oven, sprinkled with sea salt and fresh pepper. Very tasty, and I wolfed down a LOT of kale. It made me feel very virtuous, and was definitely at least 2 servings of vegetables for the day!

It's more appealing (and novel) to eat kale this way than as a boiled leaf. I picked up my weekly box from Genesis Growers this morning and was glad to see a big bunch of purple kale, which became lunch.

This has started me thinking: could I do the same with, say, collards? Mustard greens?

David Hammond wrote:It's more appealing (and novel) to eat kale this way than as a boiled leaf. I picked up my weekly box from Genesis Growers this morning and was glad to see a big bunch of purple kale, which became lunch.

This has started me thinking: could I do the same with, say, collards? Mustard greens?

I have never tried it. However, I don't think so. The kale leaf is much hardier than most other greens. It sounds like a good experiment however.

Out here in the boonies, I have not seen many quality greens around as of late.

If the Thai can deep-fry ong-choy, then I bet collards and mustard greens are also possible.

Jay K wrote:If the Thai can deep-fry ong-choy, then I bet collards and mustard greens are also possible.

I am using the term "fry" very loosely -- as in "oven fry" (i.e., spray with oil and bake). I may give the collards and mustard greens a shot...

I am excited to try this with a couple of nice healthy looking bunches from Henry's Farm today.

I am assuming everyone is de-stemming, them, no?

I don't think the thick stems will become edible with 10 minutes of baking.

gastro gnome wrote:I am excited to try this with a couple of nice healthy looking bunches from Henry's Farm today.

I am assuming everyone is de-stemming, them, no?

I don't think the thick stems will become edible with 10 minutes of baking.

I cut off the fibrous lower stem but did not separate upper leaves from the stem; I was using young kale, though, and de-stemming may be more necessary with older, thicker leaves/stems.

I rarely boil kale, or some other greens like it, unless I put them in soups.
I enjoy simply washing them, leaving the water on, and then throwing it in a pan with olive oil, and then saute/stir-frying with hefty doses of garlic/chiles/salt/etc. until tender, about 5-10 minutes.
It makes a good accompaniment to hearty meats.

deep fried spinach (drain well) and add salt is excellent. i use it as a side dish to seared wagyu or as i like, wangus, sliced thin and drizzled w/truffle oil (i know, no truffles) and pomme frites. herbs work well too, nice for garnish.

Many years ago, when dining at Brennan's, I found a large bunch of fried parsley on my plate. It was crisp, crumbly, greasy, bright green -- and just great. So I imagine that, with a bit of technique, all sorts of greens could be fried.

I found the "fried" kale recipe, too, and gave it a shot with kale from WF. Cut out the stems, drizzled with EVOO, tossed to coat, and spread on a rack and sprinkled with Kosher salt.

Bake at 325 for 17-20 minutes and it's GREAT.

Like eating potato chips. Had it two or three times since. Their red kale works fine, too. Letting the oil sit with a little garlic before drizzling is nice, too.

Cynthia wrote:Many years ago, when dining at Brennan's, I found a large bunch of fried parsley on my plate. It was crisp, crumbly, greasy, bright green -- and just great. So I imagine that, with a bit of technique, all sorts of greens could be fried.

When I was young, my family regularly ate make-at-home tempura. One item that was regularly included in our tempura was parsley. Mmm...delicious, though it's essentially a delivery mechanism for fried batter.

chgoeditor wrote:

Cynthia wrote:Many years ago, when dining at Brennan's, I found a large bunch of fried parsley on my plate. It was crisp, crumbly, greasy, bright green -- and just great. So I imagine that, with a bit of technique, all sorts of greens could be fried.

When I was young, my family regularly ate make-at-home tempura. One item that was regularly included in our tempura was parsley. Mmm...delicious, though it's essentially a delivery mechanism for fried batter.

Tempura parsley sounds delicious. However, the stuff at Brennan's didn't have batter. It was just oil and parsley and a little salt. So not even the food value of batter -- just crispy, green grease.

They used to make fried sage with the oysters at Soul Kitchen. I loved that dish. The place was never the same after they moved to Milwaukee/North/ Damen.

ParkerS wrote:I rarely boil kale, or some other greens like it, unless I put them in soups.
I enjoy simply washing them, leaving the water on, and then throwing it in a pan with olive oil, and then saute/stir-frying with hefty doses of garlic/chiles/salt/etc. until tender, about 5-10 minutes.
It makes a good accompaniment to hearty meats.

I loves me some kale. I particularly love doing what ParkerS suggests and throwing in a little onion, a handful of chickpeas and some cayenne. With the chickpeas it becomes a great main dish in itself.

Given the other suggestions I wonder how my variation might do roasted in the oven. Hmm.. off to buy some kale wondering how I ever survived life BF- before forum.

I followed these examples last night with some kale, and was delighted. However, I don't have an atomizer for cooking oil, so despite 20 minutes in the oven, the leaves came out a bit greasy rather than crisp. Does anyone have a recommendation for a tool or technique to dress such food items as lightly as possible?

Snax wrote:I followed these examples last night with some kale, and was delighted. However, I don't have an atomizer for cooking oil, so despite 20 minutes in the oven, the leaves came out a bit greasy rather than crisp. Does anyone have a recommendation for a tool or technique to dress such food items as lightly as possible?

I have a refillable pump sprayer, but you can also buy aerosolized olive oil in a can (kind of like Pam, but with OO).

David Hammond wrote:Fun with Kale: Fry the Suckers

Not sure why I waited so long to try this, just terrific! Crisp, crunchy, lightly salty, a full bunch of kale vanished in seconds.

Nice Hammond, very nice.

Enjoy,
Gary

Where Kale Is King (at Least, When It’s Stewed in Schmaltz and Bacon)

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/26/worl ... -ios-share