You may have heard that kale is one of those super foods that will do wonders for you.
I have never tasted it.
As you may know I created a small raised vegetable patch. (check it out here) One of the vegies I put in was kale. But, oh dear, the caterpillars took a real liking to it. (check that disaster here)
Well it has been an ongoing battle and the caterpillars seem to be winning.
The silver beet behind the kale is doing very well, completely caterpillar free, and we have had a number of meals from it.
So yesterday I decided to admit defeat and buy some kale…
This is the curly kale, a different type to our smoother leafed variety in the garden.
Well! Have you tasted kale?
For the first meal, after checking through Google and my on line Taste Recipes, I decided to lightly steam it, as I do with the silver beet. Not good, it was rather tough and chewy. Quite an earthy sort of taste.
Next I found a recipe for a kale and herb pesto. Using the food processor to finely pulverize it and adding garlic, herbs and parmesan cheese then mixed with a dribble of oil and lemon juice. It was more of a success used as a topping for a hearty bean, tomatoe and quinoa casserole. (How healthy is all that!!!)
Tonight I tried making kale chips. I have read that they are the latest in food fashion. The verdict? Not bad, but Jack found the crumbly texture stuck in his throat and he had to gulp down some water. I thought I had maybe overdone the dash of soy sauce which made them rather salty.
So I think I will stay with the silver beet, spinach, cabbage and broccoli for our greens, and not feel too bad about the caterpillars munching on the kale in the garden, at least they are leaving the other vegies alone…
Has any one out there had more success with kale? If so what is your secret?
This is just to add a little sunshine for my friends in the north…