I know it’s not Wanderfood Wednesday yet, but I’ve got kale on the brain. I hereby declare it Munchie Monday.
A friend of mine introduced me to Trader Joe’s spicy kale chips, which are weirdly delicious. This is what happens when I purchase kale chips: I open the resealable pouch (why resealable? Clearly this is only good for one sitting) and trance out for a few minutes of crunchy, salty, spicy goodness as I polish off the entire bag (everything but that plastic For-Freshness-Do-Not-Eat plastic cylinder.)
Internets have been telling me unequivocally that kale chips are easy to make. Like E-Z easy.
Kale Chip Recipe
Here’s the tastiest kale chip recipe I’ve used so far, by Annie Somerville of Greens Restaurant in San Francisco (it appears in a Men’s Health article by Rachael Shultz):
1/3 tsp toasted ground cumin
1/3 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp cayenne (add 1/8 tsp for spicier chips)
1/8 tsp salt
2 Tbsp olive oil
½ lb kale (about ¾ a bunch), large stems removed, cut into 2 to 3-inch pieces
How to make it:
1. Preheat the oven to 275ºF. In a medium bowl, combine the spices, salt, and oil. Stir to dissolve. Add the kale and toss to coat.
2. Spread leaves in a single layer on two baking sheets. Try to flatten any folded-over pieces for optimum crispness. Bake until the tips of leaves are slightly crispy, about 10 minutes. Use a spatula to turn the leaves over, and continue to roast until the leaves are crisp and slightly golden, 8 to 10 minutes more. Makes 4 servings.
Annie, hats off. This is a recipe that keeps on giving. I was amazed at how crispy the leaves were, how satisfying their crunch. I got carried away with the cayenne and salt in my first batch. Don’t get me wrong; I ate the entire contents of the baking sheet. But let’s say that my cooking doesn’t usually bring me to tears like that. Later I tried salt, black pepper, cumin, and curry, but I missed the spark of cayenne (everything in moderation, no?)
Martha Stewart’s kale chip recipe is even simpler: kale, olive oil, and salt. Rather than coating the leaves before fanning them out on the baking sheet, Martha says you can just sprinkle on the oil and salt. I haven’t tried this method, but I tend to trust Martha’s kitchen wisdom.
What’s so great about kale, anyway?
Recently I read “This Is Your Brain on Kale” by Drew Ramsey, M.D. It’s hard to suppress an eye roll at his new 50 Shades of Kale cookbook (“Kale gets sexy”), but he seems to know his way around phytonutrients. He toots kale’s horn because, he claims, “kale tops the charts of nutrient density, possesses incredible culinary flexibility, and is easy to grow almost anywhere.”
Just last week, WanderMan visited the local, mid-week farmers’ market, and brought me not only a tub of berries and cherries but also a bunch of happy-looking kale. That batch went in a saucepan with some olive oil, salt, and pepper.
This week’s batch, though, will be chips all the way.
Photo above is from honestfare.com