Why We Love March–Asian Braised Kale
March 29th, 2011 · No Comments · Posted in garden
Last year's kale, fresh from the garden
March doesn’t know what time of year it wants to be. Is it winter? Is it spring? We are planting the first seeds in the garden, but also gleaning from crops that overwintered from last fall. It’s very confusing, and wonderful.
For instance, we have a beautiful patch of Red Russian kale we planted August 27 of last year. We harvested some of it in the fall. But would you believe it not only survived the winter, but now is coming back stronger than ever? Daughter and I each filled two big bowls of leaves last night. They were surprisingly fresh and vibrant. Back in the kitchen, I soaked them in a sink full of water, then gave them a good shake before piling them in our cast-iron wok where I’d heated about 1/4 cup of canola oil
I placed a pot lid over the kale and as it cooked down, added more. It steamed in the droplets of water left on the leaves. When the kale had finally cooked through to a tender state, I removed it, added a bit more oil, and sauteed some minced garlic and chopped red onion. (Scallions would be preferable here, or maybe even some of our leeks?) Add the kale back to the wok just before serving and season with some rice vinegar, mirin and soy sauce. You could also add a bit of chili-garlic paste for a little heat.
We served this alongside some spicy mapo tofu. The kale is so flavorful, with a bit of sweetness, having braved the winter colds. We just have to keep eating it before it goes to seed. That should be any day now.
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