Kale | Canalside Community Food

We’re coming into the season where different types of greens are once again going to make a more pronounced and regular appearance in the veg, now that the spell of frequent shares of mixed lettuce has passed. We’ll still be seeing lettuce from time to time. Check out the recipes suggested back in June if you need inspiration for using your lettuce. The greens we’ll be seeing more often again will include New Zealand spinach (already producing well and for a little while), chard and different types of kale (each with their own particular features: flat leaved, slightly sweet Red Russian kale, grass-green curly kale, dark green, mega iron-rich cavolo nero).

Known officially as tetragon, and having a large number of other nicknames, New Zealand spinach is a relatively recent addition to the range of veg grown at Canalside. It has a flavour and texture much like perpetual spinach (though the stems are more robust), and  has the advantage of being great to grow in late summer and early autumn because it is much less prone to bolting (sending up a flower head and going to seed) in warm/hot weather.

Chard (also known as Swiss chard – with white ribs – and rainbow chard – with white/yellow/pink ribs) is somewhat like spinach/NZ spinach though it has a slightly earthier flavour and slightly more robust texture needing a slightly longer cooking time.

Kale is a member of the brassica (cabbage) family, so is full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Brassicas are also the only fruit/vegetable source of glucosinolates, which are the sulphur containing compounds that have been linked to many health benefits including reduced incidence of some cancers. Cavolo nero is the most robust and is therefore ideal for heartier dishes and stir fried.

Any recipe that mentions any of these vegetables could use any of the others – you just might need to adjust the cooking time a bit and accept that the finished flavour may be slightly different if you have used a substitution. Below are some ideas that specifically mention the greens you can expect in your share in the coming weeks. They’re also perfect for adding to any daal, curry or stir fry recipe to up the nutrition and add a pop of green.

Recipes for New Zealand spinach are limited online as it isn’t a very widespread vegetable, although it seems to be growing in popularity in culinary circles! Here are some ideas which could give you some inspiration:
Japanese-Style New Zealand Spinach
Vietnamese-Style New Zealand Spinach

Here’s a very simple pasta recipe with few simple ingredients

From one German man’s bike travels in New Zealand, a gratin recipe

Braised NZ spinach with garlic (and some unusual/interesting ingredients to season it)

BBC Good Food has a delicious sounding array of recipes that use chard, including:
Chard, squash and parmesan tart
Swiss chard gratin
Chick pea and chard tamarind curry
Morrocan chard and lamb pan-fry
The River Cafe’s winter minestroni

There’s a wide range of recipes for kale with an international flavour, collated by Olive Magazine, which includes:
Kale crisps with smoky paprika sal

Sausage and lentils with cavolo nero
Kale, chilli and ricotta calzone
Kale hush puppies with lemon aïoli
Kale fiorentina pizzas
Plus a number of different salads using kale

As always, there is also a wealth of ideas in The Boxing Clever Cookbook  (easily available secondhand for a few pounds) – 19 spinach recipes which could be made with New Zealand spinach, and 15 for curly kale, which could be adapted for other types of kale. Dips, bakes, risottos, sauces, daals and much more – it’s all covered in this one book for these greens. Interestingly there are none for chard!

For recipes for the different greens that Rebecca, Rob, Pip or guest contributors have tried and shared, go to the blog on our website here
https://www.canalsidecommunityfood.org.uk/about-canalside/blog/
or click on one of the links below
Spinach
Chard
Kale

If you have miscellaneous items to use in your fridge, and can’t find a recipe to match, you could try out the Oddbox Recipe Generator!

Vicki Behm is an outstanding cook, and this is a very good salad. As the name implies, it keeps well, in addition to being tasty. Consider packing some in a box to take to work for lunch. I think you could use other types of green olive if you don’t have any Castelvetrano olives to hand.

Make-Ahead Lentil Salad, 4 servings

Ingredients

1 large bunch kale
12 ounces (measured in a measuring jug) of puy lentils
3 spring onions
4 garlic cloves
1 lemon
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons raw almonds, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
140g feta
150g Castelvetrano olives, crushed with the side of a knife, and pits removed
salt

Method

Strip the kale leaves off the stems; discard stems or save for later. Stack the leaves on top of each other, then roll into fat cigars. Slice crosswise into ½ cm strips to form long, thin ribbons. Unfurl the ribbons. If any are really, long cut these into shorter ribbons that will be easier to get into your mouth. Transfer the ribbons to a large bowl, season with salt, and then use your hands to massage the kale: scrunch the kale up in your hands for 1 to 2 minutes, until it is silkier, softer, and darker in colour. This makes it more tender and nicer to eat raw. Place the kale ribbons in a large serving bowl.

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the lentils, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, uncovered, until the lentils are tender but still al dente, about 20–25 minutes. Try not to overcook them or they’ll be mushy.

While the lentils are cooking, prepare the spiced oil. Trim the spring onions and separate white and green parts. Thinly slice the white parts and transfer to a small skillet. (Keep the green parts—they will be used later in the recipe.) Peel the garlic and crush it with a knife. Add those to same skillet. Using a vegetable peeler or paring knife, remove three 8cm strips of lemon peel (avoiding white pith); reserve the rest of the lemon for your salad dressing. Add peels to skillet as well. Now pour the olive oil into skillet and stir so that all of the elements are coated in oil.

Heat the skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic starts to brown and the lemon peel starts to curl, about 3 minutes. Add the almonds and cook, stirring frequently, until almonds are browned, about 3 more minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the cumin seeds and red pepper flakes—the residual heat from the oil will warm those spices and bring out their flavours.

Strain the oil mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl, shaking to help the oil drain. Don’t throw away the stuff in the sieve! The oil will form the base of your salad dressing and the stuff in the sieve will add crunch to the salad. Spread the contents of the sieve on a paper towel-lined plate, season with salt, and let cool. The nuts will get crunchier as they sit.

Crumble the feta into the bowl with the kale. Tear the olives into large pieces and add them to the bowl as well. Thinly slice the reserved spring onion greens and add most of them to the bowl, reserving just a few for a garnish. Juice the lemon and add it, along with ½ teaspoon salt, to the serving bowl.

Once the lentils are cooked, drain them well, shaking to get rid of excess moisture, and add to bowl; season with salt. Add the infused oil and half of almond-spice mix, and toss to combine. Garnish with the remaining nuts and spices, and spring onion greens, and serve.

Recipe adapted from Bon Apétit, 2020

A Falafel Salad

The New York Times describes this as the salad equivalent of a falafel sandwich. It combines tahini, mint, cucumber, and crunchy pita with spicy, warm chickpeas. It’s really good. If you don’t want to mess around with cooking the kale, you could also use salad greens.

Spiced Chickpea Salad With Tahini and Pita Chips

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the chickpeas

2 tins of chickpeas, well drained, or the equivalent of your self-cooked chickpeas

about 180ml olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons ground cumin, or 1 teaspoon each ground cumin and ground coriander

1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika

Salt and pepper

For the tahini sauce

5 tablespoons (80ml) tahini

freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon, plus more to taste

1 garlic clove, minced

water, as needed

To finish

Olive oil, for cooking

About 30g kale, chard or spinach, well washed and thick stems removed

180g pita chips (see Tip)

Handful of roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley

Handful of roughly chopped mint

1 cucumbers, thinly sliced

Lemon, cut into wedges

Preparation

Prepare the chickpeas: Preheat your oven to 220C. Pour the chickpeas into a small baking dish, about 15cm x 20cm. The chickpeas should be crowded together in a thick layer, not spread out. Pour in olive oil until chickpeas are just covered. Stir in the garlic, cumin, paprika, and 2 big pinches each of salt and pepper. Bake until oil is bubbling around the chickpeas and they are turning reddish-brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, make tahini sauce: Pour the tahini into a bowl and whisk in lemon juice and garlic. The tahini will thicken and clump. Slowly whisk in the water, a little at a time, until the sauce becomes smooth, creamy and pourable. Taste and season with salt, pepper and more lemon juice, if desired. Set aside.

Cook the greens: Place a large frying pan over medium heat and drizzle lightly with olive oil. When hot, add the greens in batches, along with a big pinch of salt. Stir until wilted and tender and set aside.

Assemble the salad: in a large bowl, gently mix the chickpeas and their cooking oil with the cooked greens, half the pita chips, and the chopped herbs. Add the cucumber slices and drizzle with half the tahini sauce. Scatter the remaining pita chips on top. Arrange the lemon wedges around the side and serve, passing extra tahini sauce at the table.

Tip

It’s easy to make pita chips from stale pita bread. Cut each pita bread into triangles and separate the top and bottom layers. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the pita triangles and cook, stirring often, until golden brown. Reduce the heat as needed to prevent scorching.

Recipe adapted from New York Times Cooking (2019)

This Easter I am going to make a Torta Pasqualina, or Italian Easter Tart. It combines creamy ricotta with fresh greens baked in a flaky crust—so it’s a bit like a Greek spanakopita. To give it an Easter twist you crack some whole eggs onto the greens before baking. When the finished tart is sliced you get a lovely mass of green with little pockets of soft-cooked egg nestled under the crust. Very seasonal!

Ricotta, Spinach and Egg Easter Tart (Torta Pasqualina)

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

Pastry
160g cold butter, diced
250g plain flour
200g ricotta
pinch of salt
a little beaten egg or milk to brush over the top of the tart

Filling
600g kale, spinach, chard or other mixed greens
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 large onions, chopped
300g ricotta
6 eggs plus extra for brushing
Salt and black pepper
80g parmesan, grated
A pinch of nutmeg

Method

Make the pastry: Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the ricotta and a pinch of salt, mix and bring together into a soft ball. Turn the pastry on to a floured work surface and knead until smooth. Cover with clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes.

Make the filling: Bring a pot of water to the boil. Meanwhile pick over the greens, discarding any tough stalks and discoloured leaves, then wash them. Working in batches, add some of them to a pan. Bring back to the boil and cook for a few minutes, just long enough to wilt the greens. Remove the cooked greens to a colander and repeat with the remaining greens. When they’re all cooked let them drain for at least 10 minutes. Once they are cool enough to handle, use your hands to squeeze out as much water as possible, and then chop roughly.

Heat the olive oil in a pan until warm and then add the chopped onion. Sauté for 5 minutes, and then add the greens. Stir and heat for a few minutes and then remove from the heat. Mix in the ricotta, 2 lightly beaten eggs, salt, pepper, parmesan and nutmeg.

Butter and flour a 26cm round tin, preheat your oven to 190C and put a flat baking tray in to get hot.

Cut the dough into two pieces, one twice the size of the other. On a floured surface roll the larger piece into a circle large enough to fill the tin, come up the sides and hang over the edge. Lift the dough into the tin and press it in. Add the filling. Using a spoon, make four deep indents in the mixture. Break the remaining four eggs into these indentations.

Roll the smaller piece of dough into a disc large enough to generously cover the top of the tin. Place it over the top of the tart and, using wet fingertips, press the dough to make a firm seal, and then fold any excess dough back towards the centre to make a little fringe. Prick or slash the centre of the tart. Paint the top with beaten egg or milk, put onto the hot baking tray, and bake for 50 minutes or until golden.

Allow to cool a little before turning out. Serve warm or at room temperature.

(Recipe adapted from Rachel Roddy, The Guardian and New York Time Cooking.)

Miso and harissa on their own pack a punch. Combined they are even better. The spicy-salty flavour goes superbly with the sweetness of roast squash, while the potatoes add a calming back-note. Stir in some shredded kale and top with toasted nuts, and you have a complete meal. You could fancy it up with some yoghurt, or serve it alongside a bit of grilled meat or fish, if you liked.

Miso Harissa Roast Squash
Serves 2-4

Ingredients
225g small potatoes
350g squash
60ml olive oil
60ml white miso
1 tablespoon harissa
3 tablespoons lemon juice
50g kale, de-stemmed and finely chopped
4 radishes, sliced thin (optional)
40g toasted almonds or pumpkin seeks

Method
Preheat the oven to 200C.

Cut the potatoes into slices the size of your thumb. Peel the squash if you don’t like the skin, and scoop out the seeds. (You can make these into a tasty nibble by soaking them overnight in salty water, draining, and then baking for about 10 minutes at 180C.) Cut the squash into 1cm wedges. Put the potatoes and squash in a large bowl.

In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, miso and harissa. Toss with the potatoes and squash with half the olive oil-miso-harissa mix, and put onto a baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and starting to brown a bit. Toss them once or twice along the way. Watch them to make sure they don’t burn.

Meanwhile, whisk the lemon juice into the remaining olive oil-miso-harissa mixture. Taste it to see if you would like to add more olive oil, etc. Stir in the kale.

When the squash and potatoes are tender, put them in a serving bowl and toss with the kale mixture. Serve topped with the radishes (if you wish) and toasted nuts/seeds.

Recipe adapted from Heidi Swanson, 101 Cookbooks

One of the benefits of our current mode of living is that we can eat messily, enjoying the pleasure of sticky, savoury foods that we hold with our fingers. These drippy, delicious flatbreads are fun to make and fun to eat. And who would have guessed that swede, spiced with Mexican chiles and accompanied by a peanut salsa, would taste so perfect wrapped in a tortilla?

I made these without the mushrooms and they were excellent but doubtless they’ll be delicious with them, too. I also augmented Meera’s original recipe with some sautéed dandelion greens. Fresh dandelions are beginning to appear in the woods and verges, waiting for you to pick them, but you could also use spinach or another leafy green.

Swede (and Mushroom) Flatbreads with Peanut Salsa
Serves 4

Ingredients
For the Roast Vegetables
5 tablespoons rapeseed oil
1 tablespoon ancho chile flakes (or another mild dried chile)
½ tablespoon chipotle chile flakes
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
800g swede, peeled, cut in half, and then sliced into 1cm half-moons
1 large red onion, peeled, cut in half, and then sliced into 1cm half-moons
300g large mushrooms, cut into 1cm slices (optional)

For the Peanut Salsa
75ml rapeseed oil
5 fat garlic cloves, peeled
100g salted roasted peanuts
½ tablespoon chipotle chile flakes
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
100ml water

For the Sauteed Greens
splash of rapeseed oil
250g dandelion greens (or spinach, or really any other leafy green)

To serve
tortillas or other flatbread
handful of coriander, chopped
plain yoghurt

Preparation
Prepare the Roast Vegetables: Heat the oven to 200C. While it heats up, mix together in a small bowl the 5 tablespoons rapeseed oil, ancho chiles, ½ tablespoon chipotle chiles, cloves, cumin and salt. Place the swede and onions in a large bowl. Put the mushrooms (if you’re using them) in another bowl. Divide the spiced oil between the two bowls and toss with your hands to distribute the oil over the vegetables. Put the swede and onions into a roasting tin and roast for 10 minutes. Then add the mushrooms (if used) and roast everything for about 20 more minutes. Check partway through to make sure they’re not burning, and to turn over the swede slices, so that each side gets pleasantly browned. Once the vegetables are soft and caramelised they’re ready to eat.

Make the Salsa: put 75ml of rapeseed oil, garlic, and peanuts in a small saucepan. Heat over a low flame and bring slowly to a boil. Simmer over the lowest possible heat for 4-5 minutes, or until the garlic starts to colour. Remove from the heat and add the ½ tablespoon chipotle chile flakes and salt. Once it is cool, add the vinegar and water and whizz up in a blender until it is semi-smooth, or at least as smooth as you like. A little chunkiness is pleasant.

Sauté the Greens: Heat the oil in a frying pan. Once it’s hot add the greens and toss them about in the hot oil for a few minutes, until they wilt. (If you are using kale or a tougher green this will take a bit longer.) Dandelions are not only tasty but really quick to cook. . . In any case, once they’re done set them aside until you’re ready to eat.

Assemble the Flatbreads: warm your flatbreads in a dry frying pan. Once they are warm, spread each one with some of the peanut salsa and strew some of the greens on top. Spoon some of the roast vegetable over that, and top with a sprinkling of coriander. Bring to the table along with the yoghurt, so that you can drizzle a bit over the top if you like. Eat with your hands.

Recipe adapted from Meera Sodha, The Guardian, 20 March 2021.

I can rarely bring myself to make lasagne but this recipe has got me interested. The question is whether the shops will actually have lasagne sheets in stock but fingers crossed!

Kale, ricotta and leek lasagne

Ingredients
kale 300g, woody stems removed and leaves chopped
olive oil 1 tbsp
trimmed leeks 3 (about 400g), halved lengthways, washed and chopped
garlic 1 clove, crushed
ricotta 350g (try vegan version from https://www.bosh.tv/recipes/spicy-creamy-cannelloni)
vegetable stock 150ml
fresh pesto 4 tbsp
fresh lasagne 250g, about 8 sheets
parmesan (or veggie alternative) 30g, finely grated

Method
Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Drop the kale in boiling salted water, bring back to a simmer then cook for 5 minutes. Drain really well.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and add the leeks with a good pinch of salt. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until really soft.

Add the garlic to the leeks and cook for 2 minutes. Keep 4 tbsp of the ricotta aside then stir the rest into the leeks with the kale. Mix everything well then add enough vegetable stock to make it a little saucy but not watery. Take off the heat.

Put a 1/4 of the sauce in the bottom of an oiled baking dish approximately 18 x 25cm. Top with 1 tbsp pesto then 2 sheets of lasagne. Repeat 3 times, ending with lasagne.

Mix the rest of the ricotta with another splash of vegetable stock and spread over the top layer. Scatter over the parmesan and bake for 20 minutes until golden and bubbling.

From: https://www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/vegetarian/kale-ricotta-and-leek-lasagne/

Several people have been asking for things to do with kale, pak choi, and other robust greens. Among other things you can make them into excellent salads. In all cases, it’s a good idea to manhandle the greens a bit to soften them up. Shred them fine and, using your hands, scrunch them up as hard as you can for a few minutes. Confronted with this vigorous treatment, they will become much softer and more tender. Pak choi does not need as much scrunching as kale or cabbage, but it will benefit from a bit body English.

Once you’ve scrunched your salad, you need an oomphy dressing to stand up to these greens. I thought I would offer a compilation of some of the salad dressings that I’d recommend to complement these hearty greens. All three are incredibly simple: you just whizz them up in a blender or mix them with a fork. And if you don’t mind doing your scrunching after you’ve dressed the salad, the tenderising effect will be even more noticeable. Once you’ve done that, you can add anything else you like: leftover boiled potatoes, toasted pumpkin seeds, shredded white or black radish, olives, chick peas….

(I was intending to present a fascinating but somewhat weird recipe for a beetroot-based vegan brownie, using a recipe I tore out of an Air France inflight magazine. Extensive testing on my colleagues at work led me to change my mind. The consensus was that the recipe must be part of a plot to denigrate vegans!)

Miso-Tahini Dressing

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 tablespoon miso paste

1 tablespoon tahini

1 tablespoon soya sauce

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Preparation

Combine the ingredients and blend well, using a fork. Taste to see if it would benefit from a little more vinegar. The mahogany-dark dressing is now ready to use. This makes enough for half a small cabbage, shredded, together with several grated carrots. It is also good on other greens.

Spring Onion and Tahini Blanket

Enough to dress a large 2-person salad

Ingredients

4 spring onions, including the green bits

2 tablespoons tahini

2 tablespoons rapeseed oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons water

Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation

Roughly chop the spring onions.

Place everything in a blender, Nutribullet, or the container for an immersion blender. Blend everything until smooth. Check to see if it needs more salt, pepper, or lemon juice. If it’s too thick for your liking you can add a little more water to thin it out, and then serve either as a salad dressing, or as a dip.

Super Turmeric Sauce

serves 2

Ingredients

2 tablespoons cashew butter

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

juice of 3 clementines

2 inch piece of fresh turmeric, peeled

5 tbsp olive oil

Preparation

Combine the ingredients in a blender and whizz until smooth.

Here is an excellent topping for punchy vegetables such as kale. The key ingredient is fresh turmeric root, which you can get at Gaia, on Regent Place in Leamington, and doubtless elsewhere. You whizz up the turmeric with cashew butter, the juice of a few of the clementines you have hanging around from Christmas, and a bit of mustard.

The original recipe (from The First Mess) combined this with raw, shredded Brussels sprouts, toasted sesame seeds, sliced spring onions and fresh dill to make a very good slaw but I think this will go well on top of anything in the brassica family. This recipe is dedicated to the nice person at Canalside just before Christmas who swapped his unwanted kale for my unwanted rosemary.

Super Turmeric Sauce
serves 2

Ingredients
2 tablespoons cashew butter
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
juice of 3 clementines
2 inch piece of fresh turmeric, peeled
5 tbsp olive oil

Preparation
Combine the ingredients in a blender and whizz until smooth.

Recipe adapted from The First Mess, where you can find the recipe for the Brussels sprouts slaw, and also a salty maple-roasted squash and ginger rice which goes very well with it.

This week I’m keeping it simple and taking a little inspiration from a recent roadtrip to Italy. The spinach and tomato are pretty core to the dish but feel free to pick and choose from the rest of the list depending what you’ve got – I use an app called plant jammer to figure out what things might go well together.

Core Ingredients (for 1 person):
Pasta of your choice, 2 handfuls
Fresh Tomatoes, 1 large handful
Spinach (or other greens depending on share), 3 handfuls
Basil, small handful
Garlic, 1 clove
Lemon Juice 0.5-1 tablespoon or to taste
Olive Oil, 2-3 tablespoons or to taste
Mixed herbs, 1 teaspoon

Optional extras:
Black olives, small handful
Walnuts, small handful
Onion, 1 medium
Green/French Beans, about 3cm bundle

Method:
First chop all your veg; tomatoes into quarters, spinach may need stems chopping down to manageable size, garlic minced or thin slices, onion diced

Next get the pasta on the boil – when it’s ready remember to keep the water!

Whilst the pasta cooks, fry off onion and garlic, then add tomatoes, spinach and any optional extras and fry at a medium heat.

The pasta should be ready about the same time as the veg is cooked. Before draining, add the olive oil to the veg and then add a few sloshes of the pasta water – the starch helps make a good sauce! Then add the lemon juice, basil and mixed herbs and stir it all together until you have a nice shiny consistent sauce. Season with salt and pepper.

Drain the Pasta and add to the pan, mix and serve with some salad on the side and a little chopped coriander on top.