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What is Kale and Why Would I Want to Cook with It?

This is something that many cooks of all levels of experience ask themselves, but if you do a little bit of investigation, you'll find that there are plenty of things that you can do with this highly versatile leafy green. When you eat kale, you are in good company.

Kale was the most commonly eaten green vegetable in Europe until the seventeenth century. There is actually evidence that kale was cultivated and used in the fourth century BC in ancient Greece. It was a popular addition to the British Victory Gardens of World War II and people are rediscovering the versatility and delicious flavor of kale nowadays.

If you have been out for dinner several nights in a row or not cooked for another reason, you have probably opened your refrigerator door at some point and winced at a soggy, brown pile of what were once vegetables. Kale freezes very well and actually tastes sweeter after being exposed to a frost. If you have fresh kale and especially fresh kale shoots which are very tender, try adding them to a salad. If you are making a kale salad, you might also want to add strong peppers, roasted nuts and peanuts, all of which bring out the strong, smoky flavor.

Kale is eaten all over the globe and there are a lot of kale recipes you can use. If you want to learn how to cook kale, the good news is that cooking kale is easy and it can be cooked in various ways. If you prefer cooked vegetables to raw ones, you can look at southern African recipes where kale is boiled with coconut milk and ground or powdered peanuts. This mixture is served on flat bread or rice. If you are a vegetarian or just enjoy vegetarian recipes from time to time, using kale in this way is a good way to cut back on eating meat and replacing it with something delicious and rich in flavor.

By contrast, you will also find that in Europe, kale is often combined with sliced or ground up meat, especially heavily spiced sausage or ground beef. It is usually combined with potatoes, broth, and olive oil and served in such a way that will complement the meat; in this fashion, the meat does not completely obscure the taste of the greens, as it would with a milder vegetable. You will also find that kale can be quite tasty if it is chopped up and added to stir-fry, something that happens around the globe.

You might like to add some Japanese shiitake mushrooms if you are creating a kale stir-fry. Take off the kale stems and slice the leaves into large pieces. Heat some oil in a wok or frying pan and fry the garlic, mushrooms, and anything else you add on a low to medium heat. When the ingredients are tender, add the kale and any seasonings you want, such as pepper, sesame oil, and soy sauce. This tasty dish takes just minutes to make.

Kale is an extremely underrated vegetable, but with a little bit of effort, you can see how easily it slips into your diet. Take advantage of this dark green vegetable and integrate it into your daily life!

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