Saturday, September 7, 2013

When the Neighbor Gives You Kale

I like kale. O, you know, kale, ham hocks and corn bread.  Lately kale has been all the rage.  It seems to be everywhere, from grandma's garden to the fancy restaurant. 

Kales chips were a new thing for me.  I saw them at a fancy organic grocery store and the price! Won't be purchasing those.  A very nice colleague brought a package of kale chips to work.  I was hooked, except for the price. 

 

One evening a friend called to say that she had received kale as a 'gift'.  Sounded good to me.  With so much free kale, why not make chips.  We didn't have a recipe, so we did what any good cook would do.  We googled it. 

This is essentially how you make kale chips.

Firstly, wash kale.  Remove the center vein.  The center vein and the leaf do not cook the same.  Cut kale into bite-sized pieces.

Secondly, dry kale.  This is a good time to break out the salad spinner.  Place kale into a bowl and  coat lightly with olive oil. Hint: Too little oil and the chips burn.  Too much and they are a touch greasy.  But greasy beats burned.  Season kale as desired.  Seasoning salt or other flavored salts are good choices. 

Thirdly, place kale on a large baking sheet, in a single layer.  Bake at about 275°F for about 20 minutes.  After 10 minutes, flip the kale and cook the second side for an additional 10 minutes.