How to chop kale

I'm a fanatic for cold-weather greens, and kale is one of my favorites. It grows well just before the first frost and just after the last, making it seasonal in most places twice a year and available (if not local) almost all year round.

Kale grows into deep beautiful colors -- purplish red, glowing green and the warm blue lacinato -- that get more brilliant with cooking. It isn't as bitter as other winter greens. When cooked, the leaves hold their shape but go tender, making them perfect for long-simmering soups and stews.

Step 1 Wash and dry the kale

No matter how I'm using kale, I usually chop it. Here's what I do:

First I clean it by plunging the whole bunch into a big bowl of cold water. I then spread the leaves out on a large kitchen towel and roll them up into a cylinder. This dries the leaves and gives them a hospitable place to chill until I'm ready to use them.

Comments

[smittyblues]

I use them raw stems and all.I use a juicer/extractor.The kale is a little bit bitter,or strong green tasting. I add a kiwi, an apple, a half of a beet ,carrots,a cucumber a couple spriggs of scallion,and a tomatoe.A little kosher salt,and pepper,WOW!!!

[Doc Holliday]

Um, one big problem here: cabbage moths lay eggs under leaves.  This means ins(p)ecting  ;<) and scrubbing.

Probably not a health issue, but...

[thepelton]

A little extra protein!  LOL.

[thepelton]

Mustard greens are also easy to grow, and will survive light frosts, so they can be planted very early as well.  Fresh, they have a spicy aftertaste almost like radishes.  Fresh mustard is good in a sandwich where you would normally use yellow mustard or horseradish.

[goddessdanielle]

you had me till the cooked part heheh try a Green Smoothie, use one bunch RAW KALE, some pineapple juice, 2-3 bananas and a kiwi, then Blend the hell out of it! its AWESOME!! plus kale is a Superfood in its raw state, it has one of the higest amounts of Vitamin K and A then any other source!

[karmineky]

If you chop kale finely, it's lovely raw in a salad as well!  Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice plus a slight splash of vinegar, toss with salt, pepper, and finish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.  Yum!

[thepelton]

As a vegophile, but not a vegetarian, that sounds tasty!

[djbarista]

I loved emrald kale from whole foods, or Seasame. mmmm I Love veg.

[canida]

Nice Instructable! I've been meaning to put up a recipe for kale & black-eyed peas- now (when I eventually do it) I can skip a step by linking to your prep Instructable! Kale is especially nice to work with because the crenelations hold beans and sauce so well. Good stuff. Thoughts on greens, if I can poach the space in your comments: Greens in general are quite good when they haven't been boiled to death. I find a bit of cider vinegar or other "sweet" vinegar such as balsamic, mirin, or red wine is great for cutting down the bitterness of the stronger greens. If you get young "baby" braising greens they can be chopped and added to almost anything- the bitter compounds only develop as the leaves age and thicken. I've been adding chopped handfuls of baby braising mix to stir fries and soups all this week.

[!Andrew_Modder!]

wow, cool colors lol! These look very deep in vitamins :-) and health crap lol.

[ewilhelm]

Great pictures! I hope we'll see more from you. Also, please feel free to include links to your blog.

[cookthink]

Thanks. We'll be putting up a lot more soon.

[ewilhelm]

If you like our project format, considering syndicating projects to your own site: http://www.instructables.com/id/EGT6DOMBRLEP287E2Q/

[jessyratfink]

The last picture looks quite delicious. :D I have yet to use kale, but I really want to. My friend Anna uses it in the soups she brings to work all the time and it seems like a good idea!

[tlockney]

This same technique works well for collards, mustard greens, etc. Of course, my washing is a little different: I use a large colander -- organic greens tend to be pretty dirty, so I need to really spray them down to get them clean. Another great way to cook them (and, again, other greens) is to braise them with some chopped garlic in olive oil. Then, when they're almost totally wilted, I add a couple splashes of soy sauce, rice vinegar and a pinch or two of sugar (organic, of course -- cuts the acidity of the vinegar). Very tasty! Just had that last night in fact.

[cookthink]

All those big leafy greens really lend themselves well to so many different cooking styles. Last week, we went to town on some collards. They're my favorite. I'll try them with your soy-rice wine vinegar combination. Sounds awesome. Thanks.