How To Cook Curly Kale

Curly Kale

A staple of veggie boxes and local food companies as well as Farmers Markets, curly kale is recently becoming more prominent in the supermarket. It has been grown in Great Britain for centuries and was once a frequent nutritious addition to the dinner plate in the 50s and 60s. So as a nation we seem to have lost the knowledge of how to cook curly kale – but the good news is, it seems to be coming back. Sales have rocketed in the last couple of years – and a good thing too!

Kale is packed full of vitamins, iron and calcium and tastes delicious. It couldn’t be easier to cook as it just requires steaming, boiling or stir frying although it is great added to pasta dishes, risottos, stews and soups. You can use it wherever you may have used spinach or cabbage.

Nutritious, tasty, low cost and versatile, curly kale is a great staple vegetable, that can be added to pasta, risottos, soups and stews

Kale is low cost. 250g is more than generous for four people for less than £1 being about £3.00 a kilo for organic kale from farmers markets. Generally it is more expensive in supermarkets than at market stalls or green grocers.

I know I had rarely encountered kale until I had a vegetable box delivered for a while a few years ago when kale came nearly every week! At least that gave me the opportunity to learn to cook curly kale in different ways.

Kale is best eaten within 3 days or so as it will start to go yellow and wilt – although kept in a bag in the fridge it can last for a week or more. It is certainly worth trying, if only for all its natural health benefits but it can be very delicious too

How To Cook Curly Kale

Similar to purple sprouting broccoli, it does not feature well in celebrity chefs’ cooking books. It’s odd that these low cost, tasty and nutritious vegetables have lost their status in the high street and in the restaurants and with celebrity chefs, especially when they are so delicious and versatile!

Boiling Kale

Remove any tough stalks and chop down some of the bigger leaves. Place in boiling water for 5 minutes or until wilted down and soft. Drain thoroughly. Dress with soy sauce if liked.

Steaming Kale

Prepare as above and steam for 5-6 minutes

Stir-fry

Stir fry in sesame oil for 5 minutes. Add some sesame seeds and/or soy sauce

Serve as a vegetable to any main dish. Delicious along side purple sprouting broccoli

Stir into a risotto, add to a vegetable mix with pasta, tasty in a Spanish omelette or try this Rice With Kale Recipe

Cheesy Kale Bake

Try this easy recipe for a simple supper with kale as the main ingredient

Cooking Notes

You will need a baking dish

The following recipe is from the Exeter Steiner School cookbook, contributed by Linscombe Farm near Exeter. You can obtain a copy of the book from dmoore@phonecoop.coop for £2.50 including p & p