Kale!

It is a slightly bitter green. There's no getting around that.

 

One of my favorite ways to eat it is this:

 

You'll need a large pot with a lid.

 

Saute a large, sliced, sweet onion and a few minced cloves of garlic in some olive oil. You want the onions to carmelize, so keep the heat low and give them awhile. Don't let the garlic burn.

 

Once the onion is very soft and browned, Throw in hot pepper flakes, to taste and stir until they are distributed and coated by the oil.

 

Add a large bunch of kale, carefully washed and torn into pieces. Pour in about 1/2 cup of water, turn the heat up slightly and bring to a boil, then cover it and turn the heat down so the water is barely simmering. Let the kale steam until it is tender, which can take 15 minutes or so. Stir it once or twice as it cooks down to distribute the onions, garlic and pepper flakes but do so briefly, so the pot doesn't cool off too much.

 

Drain when it is tender, put it back in the pot and sprinkle with balsamic vinegar to taste.

 

I like it mixed with mustard greens which are more bitter and slightly hot.

 

Another way to make it which is delicious is to toast it.

 

Google "toasted kale" and you will find a bunch of recipes.

The notion of bitterness gets such a bad rep amongst our food culture.  It's no wonder, nowadays our use of sugar and salt in all foods far exceeds what our ancestors as recently as our grandparents ever used.  The sensation of sweetness has nearly killed our appreciation for bitter foods when bitter is just as valid a taste sensation as is sweet, salty, or spicy. 

 

Many people counter the taste of bitter greens by cooking them or pairing them with sweeter ingredients such as sugar and caramelized onions.  I've seen a lot of recipes for kale that braise it with bacon.

 

All that said, I hate kale

Terry, your method is very similar to mine. Braised then hit with a touch of acid. We eat it for breakfast on occasion with a runny fried egg on top. Great stuff

Never tried it with an egg. That sounds good!

 

Good luck weathering Isaac. My niece lives in Madeira Beach, so I always worry a little during hurricane season.

 

Something a friend showed me which was surprisingly delicious and very nice as a "snack" were oven baked kale chips. They had really nice elephant kale in their garden and used this as a different way to enjoy their kale. The prep is fairly simple. Just cut the leaves away from the stems and then tear them into pieces that are close to bite sized, a little larger doesn't hurt. Use a cookie sheet with parchment paper or even better if you have a cooling rack that is oven safe use it. Heat your oven to 350. Drizzle the kale leaves with olive oil and season with salt. Bake them until the edges are just starting to brown. The timing can be a little tricky. They should be crispy and light. When done right they are great and have that melt in your mouth effect. You can google baked kale chips, there are lots of blog posts etc. regarding them.

Thanks. Isaac is moving a little further west. We are getting a lot of rain. Not much winds, yet.

The fat of the egg really rounds out the dish both in flavor and texture for me. Do the same thing for other greens including beet tops

I  have made Kale omeletes with bacon, onions, cheese, ect. Also another delicious way I like to eat it is by blanching it and shocking it and than sauting with onions and italian sausage comes out pretty good. Also try watching Iron Chef America: Battle Kale you might be able to pick up some interesting ways to prepare Kale. I saw them marinate it in buttermilk and than batter it and deep fry it!