We are very excited to announce our new partnership with WHYY’s Newsworks New Jersey. Starting this month, we are now the official source of food news for Newsworks, and we couldn’t be more excited or honored to be working with such a well respected organization. When I was tossing around story ideas with the producer, I mentioned this delicious soup that I’d been practically living off of since the beginning of the year and how it featured Kale. I went on to mention that South Jersey is the fourth largest producer of Kale in the country. So, South Jersey grows its fair share of Kale and for the most part, people are still buying it for garnish, and that’s just downright disgraceful. People, do you realize you are taking one of nature’s super foods; a food that fights five types of cancer, not to mention bad cholesterol and inflamation, and using it to make iceberg lettuce look pretty? Oh, the humanity.
Well, luckily, some crazy youths (Jersey translation: yutes) took hold of this disrespected cousin to Collard Greens and started a new krispy kale craze. Kale chips as they’re called are making their way into specialty stores and hip cocktail parties all over the country. Since I am the hippest person in my house (I’m the only one home right now) I had to try them.
And, the verdict? Kale Chips are a super easy to make treat and pretty darn tasty. Even my 14 year old son enjoyed them. Be prepared to eat the whole bowl. They’re very light and terribly addicting.
INGREDIENTS
1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Sea Salt
1/2 Bunch Kale, stems stripped.
DIRECTIONS:
Cut Kale into 3 inch pieces, lay in one layer on a baking sheet. Make sure chips are thoroughly dried. Drizzle oil over top and toss to coat. Sprinkle salt evenly over leaves (be generous with the salt, these are supposed to be salty chips) and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 10 – 15 minutes. Test after 10 minutes, Kale should be krispy. If not, keep baking.
So, now, on to the Kale Pie adventure. A recent tweet from my new friend Louisa of Louisa’s Cafe in Cape May about her Kale and Cheddar Cheese Pie, led me to a long Thursday night chat with the restaurateur. Louisa has owned her tiny restaurant in Cape May for 30 years with her husband, its a story unto itself and one I plan to tell very soon. But, for now, I’m happy to share her rendition of a Kale Pie that was adapted from Marcus Samuelsson’s Spinach, Cheddar Cheese and Caramelized Onion Pie. I think it demonstrates quite nicely how Kale can be easily substituted for spinach.
INGREDIENTS
Crust
1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 Tbs. salted and roasted sunflower seeds
1 Tbs. whole flax seeds
2 teaspoons white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons milk
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix ingredients together in a bowl. If dough is not forming, add a dash more milk. Place mixture in a pie plate and spread evenly across bottom and up sides. Bake for 15 minutes.
Filling
2 cups of raw kale, sliced/slivered and then steamed. Let come to room temperature
1/3 cup milk
3 tbsp cream
3 eggs
1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar
½ large white onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a pan, sauté onions on medium/low until they are golden brown, approximately 10 – 15 minutes.
In a bowl, beat eggs, milk, and cream. Mix in remaining ingredients, including onions.
Pour mixture into prepared crust. Bake about 25 minutes, or until crust is browned and the middle is solid.
Cool 10 minutes before serving.
The end result is a tasty quiche with a lovely, nutty crust. Think about the variations you could create here, add artichoke hearts, mushrooms, roasted red peppers. I think any combination would work beautifully.
For another great Kale recipe, be sure to check out our Kale and Turkey Sausage Soup on Newsworks New Jersey. Do you have a favorite Kale specialty? We’d love to hear about it. Please leave a comment or share with us on Facebook.
Deborah Smith , Founder and Executive Editor of JerseyBites.com. Launched in 2007 as a home for her growing collection of recipes, Jersey Bites soon grew into a hub for all things edible in the Garden State. Deborah is also the owner of 3SquareDeals.com a Deals program that benefits Hunger Relief organizations in New Jersey. In her spare time, (Ha) she works as a Social Media consultant and speaker. You can learn more about her services and marketing through social media on her blog www.DeborahLSmith.com
