Kale Fest Recipes!
01 Sep 2011 1 Comment
in Entrees, Party Food, Snacks, Soups Tags: community garden, Dr. Terry Wahls, events, food, garden party, greens, healthy, hummus, kale, local
Last week we had the area’s very first Kale Fest, a great time by all the smiles around Earth Source Gardens, New Pi’s community gardens!
We hosted local kale celebrity Dr. Terry Wahls to judge our kale recipe contest – I think we might need to have another one of these in the future and poll all you out there as well.
Dr. Terry Wahls and the three winners - Roxane Mitten, Miss Nik, and Jennifer Burstain
Our recipe cards went like hot potatoes and, by popular request, we’re happy to share the three delicious winning recipes right here with you: Kale Rolls (a new take on nori rolls), Miss Nik’s Kale Fest Soup, and Kale Hummus. Enjoy!
Kale Rolls
Contributed by Roxane Mitten
This recipe is inspired by the desire to modify recipes that require imported ingredients to local food-based ingredients, or ones that ‘could’ be developed as a local niche. These rolls are a take-off of Nori rolls, substituting the imported Nori with a fermented kale leaf. The saltiness of seaweed is created by modeling the classic preservation of grape leaves. These ingredients also intend to meld with The Wahls’ Way nutritional approach.
1 red onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings cut in half
Prepare lightly fermented kale (3 days prior)
Cut off major portion of stem of kale leaves. Sprinkle with salt and let stand about 30 minutes to soften. (Note: one can use ½ the salt by spiking the culture with an earlier ferment.) Layer 4 kale leaves together. Roll from leaf tip to stem, cigar-like. Repeat with remaining 8 leaves so that there are 3 bundles. Pack them into a 1 pint wide mouth jar. Fill with fresh water. (NOTE: do NOT use tap water; chlorination will retard microorganisms. Alternatively, boil the water to remove chlorine.) Let stand at room temp or cooler for 3 days. Refrigerate. Use as desired.
Prepare beet noodles (1-8 hours prior)
Cut beet into very thin ‘noodles.’ I use a spiralizer, which creates long noodles. Add ume plum vinegar and honey. Let marinate for at least 1 hour, massaging occasionally with a clean hand.
Remove one bundle of kale leaves. Rinse.
Lay out kale leaf flat with point towards oneself. You may need to trim a little bit of hard stem from the base of the leaf, leaving leaf intact.
Lay golden beet noodles over about ½ of the leaf. In the middle, from edge-to-edge, layer single slices of bacon, cucumber, carrot, red onion, hazelnuts, and red serrano.
Lightly roll kale leaf sushi-roll-fashion from the leaf tip end so that the beet surrounds the internal ingredients.
Slice rolled kale into ½ – ¾-inch slices. Place decoratively on a plate and serve.
Miss Nik’s Kale Fest Soup
Contributed by Miss Nik, New Pi Mistress of Cheese
AKA: Caldo Verde, Portuguese Green Soup the way she likes to make it.
Serves 8-10 generously – maybe even some left for the freezer!
salt and black pepper to taste
*If using New Pi Hot Italian pork sausage, start with 1 1/2 T. olive oil, then drain all but a few tablespoons of the fat off after you’ve browned it.
In sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium-high until shimmering. Add sausage, breaking up with wooden spoon to ensure even browning. Stir occasionally until it’s cooked almost all the way through and has a rich brown color.
While the sausage is browning, pour the chicken stock into a Dutch oven or deep stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the piece of Reggiano rind, which will add a whole other dimension of flavor – umami, the fifth taste. Bring almost to a boil, then reduce heat to med-low and let it simmer. Stir occasionally to prevent the cheese from sticking to the bottom.
Add the onion, bell peppers, garlic, fennel, and red pepper flakes to the browned sausage. Stir occasionally over medium heat, until the veggies soften and begin to take on a little color. You can add a pinch of sugar to speed along the carmelization, if you’d like. Add the wine, stirring occasionally until liquid is almost cooked off. Turn off heat.
Remove Reggiano rind from stockpot with tongs and discard. Add the kale to the stock, then the contents of the sauté pan, making sure to scrape all the brown bits off the bottom. Add the potatoes, and continue to stir occasionally until kale and potatoes are just tender. Add beans and their liquid and reduce heat to low, bringing it to a bare simmer. Taste a spoonful of stock. If it is a bit too salty, add extra chicken stock or water. Add black pepper or salt if desired. Turn off heat.
Add butter, for a richer taste and glossy appearance. Stir until thoroughly incorporated, and serve with your favorite homemade or Bakehouse bread.
It freezes beautifully, so I usually make as much as my big stockpot can handle!
Kale Hummus
Contributed by Jennifer Burstain
1/2 t. salt
Put all ingredients except kale in a Vitamixer. Blend until smooth, using plunger, on high for 1 minute. Add kale and blend on low (speed 5) for 20-30 seconds. Place on serving dish and spread a little extra olive oil on top.
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