Kale has kept the Irish (and other northern folk) alive for over a millennia, even before cabbage (at least according to Donnchadh Ó Corráin while he still breathed), but here in the States it’s often used as an an ornamental, and eating it became a fad
Using kale as an ornamental is like using a Maserati to commute in Manhattan. I mean, yeah, but why would you?
I suspect part of the problem is not knowing when to eat kale–late summer kale can be as tough and bitter as a sea salt’s boots. Best time to eat it is after a hard frost, and it only gets better as the winter melts into spring.
You can use it in colcannon (an Irish dish with its own song), but I love it in a very local clam dish.
NCM clam and kale soup
- Two handfuls of fresh dug clams
- Three fistfuls of fresh cut kale
- A few sprigs of rosemary cut off the bush by the driveway
- A small onion
- Just enough olive oil
- Big dab of butter
- A glass (or two) of white wine
- A cup of half and half cream
Prep the clams:
- Scrub the clams.
- Bring clam pot water (about 3/4″ deep) to boiling
- Put clams in until opened.
- Scoop out the clams, chop up the meat, save the juice, and hold in bowl until all clams cooked.
- Once all clams cooked, dump chopped clams and juice back into the clam water and let simmer.
Everything else:
- Pour just enough olive oil into iron skillet to coat bottom.
- Toss in a few sprigs of fresh rosemary and cook until leaves flatten in oil, then remove the sprigs
- Toss in chopped onion, and let simmer until onions start to sweeten just so
- Pour in wine, and let simmer for 5 minutes
- Rip up kale and toss into above in several handfuls–each handful should shrink into manageable size before tossing in the next.
- Toss in dab of butter, simmer until melted
Put it together:
- Pour the kale broth into the clam broth
- Simmer a few minutes, long enough so that the kale and clams get acquainted
- Toss in cup of half and half, turn off flame, and let set for 5 minutes.
Serve with bread and Guinness.