Risotto with Kale

Arborio rice, white wine, rich vegetable stock — risotto is a simple supper that requires good ingredients and a little patience. Served with a crisp salad, it's a lovely meal to linger over on these long summer evenings.

The other night I added shredded lacinato kale to the risotto. It added a slight kale flavor and lovely deep flecks of green.

It's hard to make risotto for 2 people. I always make extra and serve the leftovers the next day as risotto patties (squashed together like burgers — with a beaten egg if the rice falls apart too much— covered in bread crumbs, and fried in a little olive oil).

The key, of course, is a good stock. I recommend making your own. I have a couple of recipes on this blog. You can find them here and here.

Risotto with Kale
3 1/2 cups vegetable stock — I used 1 1/2 cups of my best roasted vegetable stock and 2 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
1 bunch lacinato kale (also called dinosaur or Tuscan kale or cavolo nero)
1 1/4 cups chopped onion
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp unsalted butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup grated parmesan

Bring the stock and 3 1/2 cups water to a boil in a large pot. (This will be a total of 7 cups of liquid.) Add a sprinkle of salt. Cut the thick stems from the kale and throw the leaves into the boiling stock. Simmer it until tender, about 5 minutes. Lift out the kale, squeeze it well, and let it cool. Chop it coarsely.

Keep the pot of stock simmering gently, covered.

Cook the onion in the olive oil and 1 tbsp butter over low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Raise heat to moderate and add the garlic. Cook, stirring, one minute. Then add the rice and cook, stirring, until all the grains are coated with the oil.

Stir in the wine and let the risotto simmer a couple of minutes while the rice absorbs the wine. Then start adding the simmering stock, stirring in about 1/2 cup at a time, letting the rice simmer gently as it absorbs the liquid. Don't stir so much the grains of rice become pasty. Let it simmer and keep an eye on it, stirring in more liquid as needed. You might not use all the stock. The rice should be creamy-looking but still al dente. This will take under 20 minutes.

Stir in the kale, parmesan, and remaining tablespoon of butter. Let it all heat through, then season with salt and lots of pepper. Add more broth if necessary to thin it.

Serve in heated shallow bowls.

Serves 4

Beans and Greens

Dried beans and fresh greens are staples in our household. We eat them regularly, and rarely the same way twice. There are so many varieties of dried beans and fresh greens that the combinations are endless.

Here's the most recent one I made, combining curly kale, white lima beans, and canned tomatoes.

It actually tasted as good as it looks.

Here's what I did.

White Beans and Curly Kale Stew
1/3 cup dry white lima beans or canellini beans
4 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 dried red chile pepper, crumbled
1 large bunch curly kale, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves

Cook the beans in boiling water until tender, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Drain and set aside.

Warm olive oil in large sauté pan. Add garlic and chile pepper and cook over medium heat until fragrant. Stir in kale and vegetable stock. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the kale wilts, about 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes with their juice, cooked beans and thyme. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Ladle stew into shallow bowls and serve.

Serves 4

Shiitake Mushroom Adventure

I was given a shiitake mushroom log at Christmas. I was pretty excited because I have never grown mushrooms before. And it came at the perfect time - the weather was cold and rainy, and our garage provided the perfect environment to grow the 'shrooms. The log grows inside a plastic bag, so it has stayed moist even as our days and air have become drier.

The other day, I picked our first crop - a bumper - and made this delicious stew with the winter vegetables I have in our fridge.

I often buy fresh shiitake mushrooms at the Hollywood Farmers Market. They are dark brown and thin-capped and very mushroom-y in flavor. The shiitakes I picked off our log are white and sweet - a different taste altogether and quite eye-opening. It's like the difference between a supermarket tomato and a home-grown tomato, but more so.

My first harvest!

I cut the caps from the stems and dried the stems on a rack on the kitchen counter to go into my next batch of vegetable stock. The caps added great flavor to this simple vegetable dish.

The key sauce ingredient in the stew is nutritional yeast. This is a good source of B vitamins and a vegan source of cheese-flavor. I'm told it's also good on popcorn, but I have yet to try that.

Vegetable Stew
1/3 cup chickpeas
1/2 lb Brussels sprouts
2 tbsp olive oil
6 cloves garlic, peeled and bashed
4 shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
2 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash
1 carrot, cut in large matchsticks
3 cups packed chopped green curly kale
1 cup water
1/4 cup tamari (natural soy sauce)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast

Cook the chickpeas in plenty of simmering water until tender, 2-4 hours depending on the age of the beans. Drain and set aside.

Trim the Brussels sprouts and cut them in half. Steam them about 5 minutes until tender and bright green. Set aside.

Shiitake log in its plastic bag

Warm oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, mushrooms, squash and carrot. Cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add chickpeas and kale. Cook stirring often, until kale is bright green, 1-2 minutes. Stir in Brussels sprouts. Reduce heat to medium low.

Whisk together water, tamari and nutritional yeast in a small bowl. Pour over the vegetables in the skillet. Stir and cover. Remove from the heat and let stand 1-2 minutes for the flavors to blend.

Serve on brown rice.

Serves 4

Beans and Potatoes with Kale

I made this simple dish of beans, potatoes and curly kale the other day. It is both satisfying and highly nutritious. The beans have protein and fiber, the potatoes have essential insoluble fiber (read my post on the health benefits of potatoes here), and the kale is full of vitamins and minerals.

Plus, it was pretty on the plate.

I used the small pale green flageolet beans beloved by the French. White lima or cannellini beans would be good too. Or trout beans - my latest heirloom bean purchase - which are small white and brown beans also called Appaloosa beans because of their coloring.

Beans and Potatoes with Kale
2/3 cup flageolets
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large red-skinned potato, cut in 3/4 inch dice
1 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 bunch kale, tough stalks removed, leaves sliced in ribbons
juice of 1/2 lemon
grated parmesan (optional)

Cook the flageolets in a large pot of simmering water until tender, about 90 minutes depending on the age of your beans. Drain and set aside. (They can be cooked up to a day ahead and stored in a closed container in the refrigerator if needed.)

Warm the olive oil in a large skillet with a lid over medium-high heat. Add the potatoes and a sprinkle of salt. Stir well, cover the pan, and let cook a few minutes while the potatoes turn golden brown. Carefully turn the potatoes over with a spatula and continue cooking them until they are cooked through and golden.

Add the onion and cooked beans to the pan. Keep cooking, with the lid off, letting the beans brown a little and catch on the bottom of the pan to enhance their flavor. Don't stir for a couple of minutes until the onion has softened and the beans have browned a little.

Stir in the garlic and kale. Lower the heat a little and cover the pan. Let the kale wilt for 3-4 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

Serve immediately with grated parmesan on the side if desired.

Serves 2-3

Bean and Kale Soup

With actual cool, dark evenings, I'm enjoying serving hot soup for dinner.

A good soup that sticks to the ribs is also a great lunch after a morning of gardening, especially if the soup includes beans and greens.

Here's the soup I made last week. It lasted us many days, and continued to get better with age. I'll be making it often this winter.

As with all good soups, the ingredients can vary depending on what you have in the fridge. I used pinto beans because they're a great size on a soup spoon, but you can use whatever smallish beans you have on hand. Half the beans are puréed to give some body to the soup. This is not essential, but a nice touch.

Plus I had beet greens in the fridge so I stirred them in. Chard, spinach, turnip greens or even rutabaga greens would work just as well.

I defrosted some vegetable stock to use in the soup. You could use all water if needed, just make sure it totals 6 cups, and add a little extra salt or a spoonful of tamari to give some umami. If you don't have fresh herbs, use dried but cut down the amount by a third until you taste and see if you like it.

Bean and Kale Soup

1 cup pinto beans

¼ cup olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 small carrots, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

4 cups stemmed and shredded curly kale

1 potato, peeled and diced

2 ½ cups stock plus 3 ½ cups water

greens from 1 bunch of beets, chopped, about 2 cups

½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp minced rosemary leaves

1 tbsp minced parsley

1 tsp minced thyme

parmesan to serve (opt)

Soak beans for a couple of hours. Drain, cover with water and cook until tender, about 2 hours. Drain. Process half the beans in the food processor with a little water until puréed. Set aside the puréed beans and the whole beans separately.

Sauté onion, carrots and celery in olive oil until tender, about 5 minutes. Add kale, potato, puréed beans, stock and water. Bring to a boil and simmer over medium heat until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.

Add beet greens, cherry tomatoes, garlic, rosemary, parsley and thyme. Season to taste. Simmer another hour until the greens are tender and the flavors are well blended. Add extra water if necessary. (This should be a thick soup.)

Stir in reserved whole beans. Warm through. Season to taste.

Serve topped with grated parmesan if desired.

Serves 8 - 10

Kale Salad with Grilled Carrots

Grilled carrots are really awesome. They're almost worth lighting a barbecue just for them.

Sunday night we cooked a full meal on the barbecue and I grilled some carrots and served them with a kale salad. The warm buttery carrots were a wonderful foil to the greens. And the salad made good leftovers for lunch the next day.

This is what I did.

Kale Salad with Grilled Carrots
Grilled Carrots:
6 carrots, peeled
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp chopped fresh oregano
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
Kale Salad
juice of 1/2 lemon (and more to taste)
juice of scant half an orange
1 tsp chopped shallots
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
1 bunch Tuscan kale

Cut carrots in half lengthwise. Blanch them in salted boiling water until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes. Drain and cool in ice water. Dry them off and toss with the olive oil, oregano and balsamic. Grill over medium-high heat until grill marks appear, 3-5 minutes. Keep warm.

Whisk together lemon juice, orange juice, shallots, balsamic, olive oil, and a little salt and pepper.

Stem the kale and cut the leaves in half lengthwise. Stack them together and cut them in 1/4 inch strips crosswise. Toss the ribbons into the dressing, massaging the leaves well to absorb the oil and soften.

Mound the kale on a plate and place the warm grilled carrots on top.

Serves 4-6

Good as cold leftovers.

Sautéed Lacinato Kale

I always snap up lacinato kale, also known as dinosaur kale or cavolo nero or Tuscan kale, when I see it at the Hollywood Farmers Market.

It's a sturdy kale that lasts well in the fridge, and cooks into a side of greens with texture and a little chewiness.

I served this dish at Canadian Thanksgiving. It goes well with grain dishes (or stirred into cooked brown rice), and with baked squash - any time you want an easy green side dish.

Of course, it's also extremely healthy. Kale is a member of the cabbage family which offers protection against many cancers. It's also full of antioxidants, and is known for its anti-inflammatory and pro-cardiovascular benefits. Cooking it in a little oil helps break down the cell walls so our bodies can better absorb the nutrients.

Plus, it's really simple to wash, chop and cook.

Sautéed Lacinato Kale
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion
1 bunch lacinato kale

Warm the olive oil in a skillet. Chop the onion and cook it until it's tender.

Wash the kale and chop off the bottom of the stems. Chop the leaves down the center, then stack them and cut across in rough 1 inch strips.

Stir the kale into the onion and let it cook down a little, stirring occasionally.

Now you have two options. At Thanksgiving, I was making it a couple of hours ahead and reheating it, so I scooped it from the skillet when it was softer but not fully cooked, put it in a covered casserole dish and left it at room temperature. About 15 minutes before we wanted to eat, I put it in the toaster oven at 350°F.

If you're going to eat it sooner, let it cook, covered, in the skillet until it's the texture you like. If it browns on the bottom a little, that adds to the flavor. If it's ready before you are, turn off the heat and let it sit, covered, until you're ready to eat it. Reheat quickly and serve.

Serves 2-3

Beans and Greens and Mushrooms

I was buying cilantro and chard at the South Central Farmers Cooperative stall at the Hollywood Farmers Market on Sunday when I noticed some beautiful burgundy leaves. I was told they were amaranth, a green that we have not eaten before. So I bought a bunch to try.

When I nibbled a leaf, I found it was surprisingly bitter. So I decided to cook it with some curly kale (for texture) and beet greens (for sweetness). I combined them with mushrooms and white beans for a simple and nutritious dinner.

You could make this recipe with any combination of greens you like. I recommend the curly kale because it bulks up the dish - it doesn't shrink quite as much as chard and other types of kale. Some arugula or rapini would be nice for flavor. And a gentle green like collards or beets is always appreciated.

I used a variety of mushrooms because I was feeling adventurous at the market. Plain creminis would be fine too, or even white mushrooms.

The white beans look pretty against the greens, but any bean can be used. If you don't feel like cooking your own, drain a 14-oz can of whatever strikes your fancy.

Beans and Greens and Mushrooms
1/3 cup dry white beans
2 tbsp olive oil
2 shallots
2 cloves garlic
1/2 lb mixed mushrooms (I used oyster, shiitake and cremini)
1 bunch curly green kale
greens from 1 bunch of beets
1 bunch purple amaranth

Cook the white beans in plenty of simmering water until tender, about 90 minutes depending on the beans. Drain and set aside. (At this point they can be refrigerated overnight if needed.)

Warm 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Peel and chop 1 shallot and 1 clove garlic and add to the oil. Cook, stirring, until onion is translucent and garlic is golden but not brown.

Wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp cloth. Remove the base of the stem if it's dirty, and remove woody stems from shiitakes and oyster mushrooms. Slice the mushrooms and add to the skillet with 1/4 tsp of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are brown, about 5 minutes. Remove them to a bowl and set aside.

Wash all the greens. Cut the tough stems from the kale and discard them. Slice the leaves into 1/4 inch ribbons. Cut the beet stems at the base of the leaves and discard them. Slice the leaves crosswise. Remove the stems of the amaranth and discard. Chop the leaves coarsely.

Put the skillet back on the heat. Warm 1 tbsp oil and peel and chop the other shallot and clove of garlic. Add to the pot and cook until soft. Add the curly kale, stir well, season with a little salt and pour in about 1/4 cup of water. Stir again, then cover the pot and cook for 10 minutes until the kale is wilted and cooked down a bit. Add the beet greens and amaranth, a little more salt and pepper, stir well, then cover and cook another 10 minutes until all the greens are tender.

Add the reserved mushrooms and white beans to the skillet, and cook some more until everything is warmed through. Serve immediately.

Serves 4

Cashew Coconut Kale

I like to cook greens a few times a week. They are full of minerals to strengthen our bones and nourish our nervous systems. Usually I either steam the greens or sauté them in a little oil with salt and chile flakes.

But the other day I tried this recipe from Moosewood Restaurant Celebrates, and found it to be really good. The picture is of the kale before I added the coconut-cashew mixture. Afterwards it was less photogenic, but really delicious. It's a little more work than just stir-frying the kale, but the flavor of the cashew-coconut sauce is worth it.

Cashew Coconut Kale
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño, diced
2 tbsp oil
1/3 cup salted cashews
juice of 1/2 to 1 lime
1/2 cup coconut milk (freeze the rest of the can to use another day)
1 tsp curry powder
1 bunch kale, stemmed and chopped

Sauté onion, garlic and jalapeño in oil about 10 minutes until onion is translucent.

Meanwhile, blender the cashews, lime juice and coconut milk until smooth. Start with the smaller amount of lime juice, and add more to taste.

Add the curry powder to the frying onions. Cook 1 minute. Add the kale, along with the water still clinging to its leaves. Add a sprinkle more water if it looks too dry. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally and adding water if needed, 5-8 minutes until tender.

Stir in the cashew-coconut sauce. Stir to coat. Cook until it's warmed through and serve.

Serves 3-4

Curly Purple Kale

We brought some vibrant purple curly kale home from the Hollywood Farmers Market on Sunday.

It was so young and tender, the stems were not even 1/4 inch wide. I just had to chop it, stems and all, before gently sautéeing and steaming it for a colorful nutritious side dish.

Kale has been found to lower blood cholesterol and help prevent heart disease and certain cancers. Surprisingly, cooked kale has more health benefits than raw, probably because we don't chew enough to break down the fibers and absorb the goodness.

There are many ways to cook kale, but this one is simple and tasty. The cooked green can be served as a side dish, added to rice or other grains, or stirred into soups or stews.

I served it the other night with a bean stew, potatoes, and Baked Heirloom Pumpkin.

Cooked Kale
1 bunch curly kale
1 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic
sprinkle of hot chile flakes
salt

Wash the kale. Remove the stems if they are more than 1/4 inch wide. Chop the leaves coarsely.

Warm the olive oil in a large pot. Add the peeled and chopped garlic and a sprinkle of chile flakes.

Add the kale along with the water left on the leaves after washing. Stir well so all the kale is turned in the oil. Sprinkle with salt. Cover the pot and let the kale cook gently until it is tender, stirring occasionally.

Serves 2-3

Eat organic

I'm fortunate to be able to eat a wide variety of organic produce. It helps to live in southern California and shop at the Hollywood Farmers' Market.

I know that not everyone is as lucky as me, so here is the annual list of foods that are safe to eat even if they are not organic.

Every year the Environmental Working Group tests US-grown food for pesticide residue. Although we don't know what long-term use of pesticides does to the human nervous and endocrine system, there are standards as to what is too much to consume.

The first list, The Dirty Dozen, refers to foods that should never be eaten unless they are organic, because the pesticide residue is too high in the conventionally-grown kinds.

The second list is of foods which have a minimal level of pesticide residue when conventionally grown.

Notice that greens must be organically-grown. Don't let that stop you from eating greens. Instead ask your produce manager or favorite organic farmer to stock organic greens. They're available, they're delicious and they're healthy. And even at $2.50 a bunch, they're a better deal than a multi-vitamin.


Dirty Dozen: eat only if organic
apples
bell peppers
blueberries
celery
cucumbers
grapes
green beans
kale / greens
lettuce
nectarines - imported
peaches
potatoes
spinach
strawberries

Low Pesticide Residue: These 15 foods are lowest in pesticide residue, and are considered safe to eat even if not organic.
asparagus
avocado
cabbage
cantaloupe
corn (probably gmo if not organic)
eggplant
grapefruit
kiwi
mangoes
mushrooms
onions
peas
pineapples
sweet potatoes
watermelon

Scalloped Potatoes and Kale

I am always looking for new ways to serve kale.

Kale is one of those foods that is exceptionally healthy. It is an anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, heart-healthy, cholesterol-lowering power food. Cooked or raw.

In this recipe, I serve it cooked with potatoes, to make a family-friendly meal that your body will love.

I used the curly green kale because I wanted some texture. I added some lacinato kale which cooks very soft, because I didn't want too much texture. Balance is all, especially with greens. This would work with mustard greens or chard or collard greens - experiment. If you're brave you could try hiding dandelion greens in here. But add something softer like kale or chard so there isn't too much bite.

And as you're enjoying this delicious meal, think of how you are boosting all the cells in your body with powerful nutrients.

Scalloped Potatoes and Kale
1 1/2 lb potatoes
1 lb kale
1 cup basil
2 cloves garlic
3/4 cup grated cheddar
1 1/4 cups milk

Wash and stem the kale and slice it coarsely into ribbons. Wash and chop the basil and garlic.

Place the kale in a covered saucepan with the water still sticking to its leaves and a sprinkling of salt, and cook over medium heat until it has wilted down a bit, about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure it's not burning on the bottom.

Peel the potatoes and slice them thin. Arrange half in a shallow 2-quart casserole. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Stir the basil and garlic into the greens, and pile them onto the potatoes. Press down if necessary.

Arrange the remaining potato slices on top of the greens. Then distribute the grated cheddar over the potatoes.

Carefully pour the milk over the cheese. It will filter down into the potatoes and greens.

Bake at 425°F for about 50 minutes until the potatoes are tender when you poke a knife in. Cover for the last few minutes if they're getting too dark. Let the gratin sit for 10 minutes when you take it out of the oven to let any juices settle in.

Serves 4-6.

Lacinato Kale

This is one of my favorite kales. It's also called dinosaur kale because of its velvety dimpled leaves. Apparently this is what dinosaur skin feels like. Other names are Tuscan kale, black kale, and cavolo nero. Cooked a long time, it becomes silky and smooth, like pesto.

I like it cooked in the Italian style. I chop it coarsely and then sauté it in a little olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper and red chile peppers.

I served it the other night with leftover mushroom risotto made into little cakes and fried until crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Very Italian. Very delicious.

I like the greens like this, a little leathery, good chewing, but not crisp. However, Larry said that he prefers his greens to be silky soft so he can swallow without chewing (and tasting) too much. If your family is the same way, blanch the greens for 2 minutes in boiling water, drain, then cook as below.

Lacinato Kale
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, chopped
red chile pepper flakes
1 bunch lacinato kale, washed and coarsely chopped
salt
pepper

Warm olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and a sprinkling of chile pepper flakes. Sauté until the onion is soft.

Add kale, along with the drops of water on its leaves. Stir well. Cover, lower the heat, and cook 5 minutes. Stir, cover, and keep cooking until the kale is softened but not mushy.

Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Serves 2-3