Brevard North Carolina Real Estate Blog

All of my family is from the south. In fact, I can't think of a single "northerner" in my family tree. So when I was growing up greens were a staple in our diet. Turnip greens, mustard greens, collards, kale...it was all good. The only way I ever knew to cook greens was in a pot of water and seasoned with ham hocks or occasionally some Virginia ham. Even as a kid, I remember taking a coffee cup and dipping out some "pot liqueur" to drink while the turnip greens were simmering. Most of the time, greens would end up on our table along side buttermilk corn bread and some pinto beans...or maybe my mama's fried chicken..or some pork chops.

But lately, I've been working on a new way to cook kale. I haven't tried this with any other green, but this has become a regular in our house. The fact that kale is really good for you can't hurt! According to wikipedia:

 "Kale is considered to be a highly nutritious vegetable with powerful antioxidant properties and is anti-inflammatory. Kale is very high in beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, lutein, zeaxanthin, and reasonably rich in calcium.  As with Broccoli and other brassicas, kale contains sulforaphane a chemical believed to have potent anti-cancer properties, particularly when chopped.

It does come with a warming though: Because of its high vitamin K content, patients taking anti-coagulants such as warfarin are encouraged to avoid this food since it increases the vitamin K concentration in the blood which is what the drugs are often attempting to lower. This effectively raises the effective dose of the drug."

All that being said....here's my version of kicked up kale. If you try it, let me know what you think of it!

One large or two small bunches of fresh kale - washed and leaves removed from the stems

1 large shallot chopped or slivered

about 2 Tb of olive oil

Pancetta or country ham pieces chopped - about a small handful

1 Tb Apple cider vinegar

In a deep pot, on medium heat, add the olive oil. Add the chopped pancetta or country ham pieces (the pancetta is better but if you can't find it, country ham is a decent alternative. This is for seasoning purposes so adjust to suit your tastes). As the pancetta begins to render, add the chopped shallots. While the pancetta and shallots saute, chop the kale leaves. I like to roll them in bunches and make a chiffonade, but chopping them is fine too. When the shallots have softened, start adding the chopped kale. Like spinach, it cooks down so keep adding it to the pot until it's all in there. Toss the ham, shallots, and kale so it is all coated. Add a couple of grinds of fresh black pepper and salt to taste. Put the lid on it and let it simmer on low. There is no water in this so the kale is basically sauteed. You can add a TB of water if you want, though, to help it along. Cover, and cook for about 20 min on low to medium heat or until the kale is tender. Since there is no water, be sure the heat isn't too high or it will burn. Right before serving, add about 1 TB of apple cider vinegar and toss.

Like turnip greens, we like our kale with a healthy splash of pepper vinegar too.

Enjoy!