Savory Roasted Kale
I think that I might have been a rabbit—or a cabbage moth—in a past life, because there is really no other explanation for why I love kale so much. We eat kale two or three times a week all through the fall, winter and early spring, and I grow loads of the Italian heirloom ‘Nero di Toscana’, or Dino Kale, in my vegetable gardens. The large, upright plants have this amazing architectural presence and their deeply crumpled leaves have a much better texture and flavor than curly kales like ‘Redbor’. Plus, I love to harvest the plants from the bottom up. They end up looking like some kind of crazy, temperate palm tree.
I thought that I had cooked kale every which way—braised, boiled in soup, stir-fried, even raw—until my friend Robin posted her favorite recipe for roasted kale on Facebook.
I had to try it. Immediately. So I popped down to the market and purchased a bunch of kale. The recipe—basically chopped kale tossed with olive oil and soy sauce and roasted for a few minutes in a hot oven—was so simple and delicious! I’ve made it four times in the past few weeks. It is a perfect fast, healthy side dish for dinners on the fly.
Of course, since I am pretty much physically incapable of not tinkering with a recipe, I made a few adjustments, adding in a little bit of chili oil, substituting the soy sauce for Bragg Liquid Aminos, and sprinkling on sesame seeds and red pepper flakes.
Kale in the Garden
Roasted Kale with Sesame Seeds
Adapted from Robin Haglund of Gardenhelp.org
Roasting the kale results in a few pieces that get crispy around the edges, which is delicious and unexpected for a green. My version of this recipe calls for Bragg Liquid Aminos—a sauce that is made from fermented soybeans. It tastes pretty much exactly like soy sauce, but I love to use it because of the packaging. Silly, I know. But it comes in a ridiculous yellow bottle that proclaims “Dash or Spray for Taste Delights.” With a sell line like that, how can you resist?
You’ll need:
1 large bunch of kale (about 7 cups)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons Bragg Liquid Aminos or soy sauce
½ teaspoon chili oil
Sesame seeds
Red pepper flakes
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Cut out the kale’s tough center ribs and chop the leaves into two-inch pieces. Rinse the kale in a colander and let it drain in the sink. Meanwhile, whisk the olive oil, Bragg Liquid Aminos, and chili oil together in a small bowl.
Place the kale in a large bowl. Drizzle the oil mixture over it and toss to coat. Arrange the kale in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Sprinkle a big pinch of sesame seeds over the kale and a few red pepper flakes. Roast the kale for 8 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Serve immediately.
I’ve been trying all my vegetables roasted. I’ll have to try this one next week – after I go grocery shopping. Tonight is a roasted sweet potato and garlic, broiled red peppers and eggplant, romano salad. Can’t wait for it all to be done.
February 4th, 2009 at 3:27 pmThe house smells amazing when roasting veggies. I wish I had the yard to grow my own veggies – and the time to tend them!
Willi, I’m glad you enjoyed this and adapted it. I must admit that I tend to roast my kale until it is really crispy, like chips. Then, I read in the last Organic Gardening Magazine that steaming it for 5 minutes only brings out all of its powerful healing properties without diminishing others. Unfortunately, I tried the 5 minute cooking, and I had to cook it longer. Still, I’m going to try weaning myself back on the time to get more of the health benefits.
btw: I love the idea of adding the chili oil. I’m going to try that too.
Kale is fantastic — so much so that my dog pulled potted dino kale out of pots on my back patio & ate them herself. Bad Shiloh! Bad Dog!
February 4th, 2009 at 3:55 pmyes I really love kale too. I’ve been sauteeing it and using it in soups. roasted sounds absolutely divine. i can’t wait to try this out. gotta get some at the store soon…thanks for sharing, willi!
February 5th, 2009 at 11:27 pmKale is one of my favorite vegetable, what a clever way to cook Kale. Sounds delicious.
February 7th, 2009 at 8:27 amCheers,
Elra
I’m another kale lover…either in salads or soups or sautes. Never tried roasted, so that will be next. I’m envious is you are able to grow the Toscano variety. I try it every year as a fall/winter/spring crop and the leaves are always pretty scrawny. What’s your secret???
February 13th, 2009 at 12:37 pmAnnie–I always used to have that problem too until I started planting some kale for the fall and winter by seed in late-June. I let those plants grow and I don’t harvest them for summer use. It seems that seedlings planted later in the summer just don’t have time to get grow and get established before the days begin to shorten and so they are completely scrawny all winter. Hope this helps!
February 17th, 2009 at 8:37 amWe had this tonight (without the chili oil) and really enjoyed it, as did our toddler. I have never really known what to do with kale by itself… now I feel inspired to try growing it. Thanks for the recipe!
February 28th, 2009 at 7:57 pmKale and Kids: a couple of tips that have our son (and some of his veg-eschewing friends chomping down on Dino kale.
We roast our kale with just olive oil and salt (leaving it as big as we can after cutting out the ribs) and roast in a single layer until crispy. When the kids show up after school we just leave a bowl on the counter and tell them to help themselves to the kale CHIPS, and the bowl is always emptied quickly. It’s great fun to tell parents that all their kids had for a snack was kale!
When we put kale into soups and stews, we chop it as finely as possible (one inch long, about 1/8th inch wide) and add it near the end of cooking to preserve all the nutrients. Using this size method we get our nine year old to eat kale in about a third of his meals.
Cooking the kale chips on the grill works great, too, but you have to watch over it carefully.
May 29th, 2010 at 6:12 amMark–Your kale chips sound awesome. I’ll have to try them out on our 5-year old nephew…and on the grill! I also like to finely chop kale…it ends up looking like beautiful tasty ribbons in soup. Thanks for your tips!
May 29th, 2010 at 4:16 pm