Garlic Cooked Kale

Once upon a time, I hated kale–especially cooked kale and cooked greens of any kind, for that matter. Slimy, slug-green, bitter nastiness that sticks to itself and basically becomes strands of cruddies (allow me to invent a word) is not my idea of delicious.

I’m not attacking those of you who like over-cooked, slimy greens. I know so-called “well done” greens are a big deal down here in the South, and far be it from me to offend anyone purposefully, but really?! How can anyone like that stuff?

For years, I have heard friends and bloggers sing the praises of kale (even cooked kale), so I knew there had to be a better way.

Disclaimer: My method to preparing cooked kale is probably not correct nor traditional. I don’t claim to be an expert. I do claim to have found a way to make kale taste fall-off-your-chair amazing to me.

So here goes… “Garlic Cooked Kale for People Who (think they) Hate Cooked Kale”

1. Wash your kale and pat it dry with a clean dish towel.

2. Chop off the ends that have no green leafees attached to them.

3. Cut the kale lengthwise down the middle, or near the middle. Some people may not like the thick middle spine, so you may want to cut that entire middle piece out. I like the chewy texture of the middle, so I leave it in.

4. And then, cut the kale horizontally (perpendicular to the first cut) in strips to form bite sized pieces. (I need a bigger cutting board. :)

5. Come on into my poorly lit, but oh-so-cozy apartment kitchen to the stove. We’re going to saute a clove of crushed and minced garlic with a little olive oil.

6. Just when the garlic starts getting fragrant, I dump in the chopped kale. It’ll barely fit in the pan, but this stuff cooks down in no time. You’ll see.

7. In just a few moments, your kale will get all bright and delicious looking. Add a few splashes of water to keep the kale from sticking to the pan and burning.

8. Add your seasonings. (See full recipe below.)

9. Now, mix it all together and bring your pan into the sunlight. Isn’t it amazing how much more appetizing something looks in a sunlit room?

10. And, then, of course, what choice do you have, but to eat it? Don’t even stop yourself.

And there you go, folks. May you have a fabulous week and a belly full of kale!