What's in Season?: Making the best of kale this March

If you don't have all your kale devoured after crisping it up in the oven and lightly salting it, here are some more suggestions

Kale: some varieties are ornamental in nature - not that you'd want to sit on it for long!

Kale and brussels sprout salad

recipe by:Currabinny Cooks

Brussels sprouts are actually, wonderfully delicious when eaten thinly shredded and raw.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Total Time

 10 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• For the dressing:

• juice of 1 lemon 

• 2 tbsp of Dijon mustard 

• 1 shallot, very finely diced 

• 1 garlic clove, crushed 

• sea salt

• black pepper 

• 100ml olive oil 

• For the salad:

• 2 big bunches of Kale (preferably Russian or Covolo nero) 

• 300g brussels spouts, trimmed 

• handful of almonds, skin on, roughly chopped 

• 100g Parmesan or pecorino, grated 

Method

1. Mix together all the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl or shake in a glass jar and leave to the side.

2. Remove any of the larger stalks from the kale and finely shred. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.

3. Very finely slice the brussels sprouts so that they are basically shredded. You can of course use a mandolin or even a grater. Add to the bowl with the kale.

4. Toast the almonds in a dry frying pan over a medium-high heat until they are toasted, be very careful not to allow any to burn. Set aside.

5. Add the dressing to the kale and sprout mixture, mixing everything together so it is all well coated. Season with sea salt and black pepper.

6. Serve with the toasted almonds sprinkled on top along with some grated pecorino.

Kale, cashew and wakame pesto

recipe by:Currabinny Cooks

Wakame seaweed gives the pesto a coastal flavour of salt and sea, pairing beautifully with robust curly kale to create a delicious peppery pesto which brims with goodness and flavour

Servings

6

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Total Time

 10 mins

Course

 Side

Ingredients

• 2 garlic cloves

• 60g curly kale, stalks removed

• 30g dried wakame, soaked in water and drained

• juice of 1 lemon

• 60g cashew nuts

• 3 tbsp rapeseed oil

• 60g hard farmhouse cheese (Cais na Tire or Cratloe Hills)

Method

1. Add all the ingredients to a food processor and whizz until well combined but not too processed.

2. Add more oil to loosen up the mixture if needed.

3. Add to pasta, soups or dollop atop a cracker.

Anna Jones’s quick chickpea braise with kale and harissa

This is a meal in a pan, a pan full of all the things I want to eat on a cold weeknight and there is little more comforting than that

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 15 mins

Total Time

 25 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• olive oil

• 1 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced

• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced

• 2 big handfuls of kale (about 200g), leaves roughly chopped, stems shredded

• 1 heaped tsp ground turmeric

• 1 preserved lemon

• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes

• 2 tins chickpeas or a 660g (1lb 7oz) jar

• bunch of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

• To serve:

• 4 tbsp plain yoghurt of your choice

• 1 tbsp harissa

• tahini, for drizzling

• 4 flatbreads

Method

1. Put a little oil in a large frying pan, add the onion and cook over a medium heat for five minutes.

2. Once the onions have had five minutes, add the garlic, kale stems (leaves go in later), and turmeric to the pan and cook for a couple of minutes.

3. While that happens cut the preserved lemon in half, remove and discard the flesh, then finely chop the peel. Add this to the pan along with the tomatoes and the chickpeas, including the liquid. If you are using jarred chickpeas you might want to add another 150ml water here, as there will be less liquid than if you are using two tins.

4. Cook for about ten minutes, until the tomatoes have thickened and reduced. Add the reserved kale leaves and cook for a few minutes until wilted. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed (the jarred chickpeas are usually already well-seasoned, so be sure to taste first). Stir in most of the parsley.

5. Ripple the yoghurt and harissa together in a bowl and serve with the braise, a drizzle of tahini, the last of the parsley and some warm flatbreads.
   This recipe is from Anna Jones' One Pot, Pan, Planet

Sprout slaw with kale and walnuts

recipe by:Currabinny Cooks

This sprout version is all about texture and bright tangy flavours without the heaviness of traditional slaws, with a simple dressing of mustard, vinegar and lemon juice

Servings

6

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 7 mins

Total Time

 22 mins

Course

 Side

Ingredients

• 300g brussels sprouts

• large handful of kale, shredded finely

• 1 garlic clove, crushed

• 1 small shallot, chopped very finely or minced

• small handful of walnuts

• juice of ½ lemon

• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

• 2 tbsp cider vinegar

• sea salt

• black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160ºC and line a baking tray with parchment. Scatter with walnuts and place in the oven for around 7 or 8 minutes until slightly browned and smelling fragrant and nutty.

2. Take out of the oven and leave to cool.

3. Trim the sprouts of any tough outer layers and its base. Slice very thinly into shreds or alternatively use a mandolin. You could also use a box grater, although this will give you a more rice like result.

4. In a large mixing bowl, combine the shredded sprouts, garlic, kale, and shallot, season with salt and pepper.

5. Whisk together the lemon juice, mustard, vinegar, and a pinch of sea salt in a small bowl.

6. Pour over the dressing into the shredded vegetables and mix through with your hands making sure everything is well coated.

7. Add the nuts last and serve as a side dish or even as a filling with some meat in a sandwich.

8. If you are not going to use the slaw straight away, storing it in the fridge perhaps, then don’t add the nuts as they will soften too much in the mixture. Add them just before serving.

Charred broccoli, kale, chickpeas and Ricotta

recipe by:Currabinny Cooks

This dish leaves a delicious sweet charred outside infused with garlic, while still being satisfyingly crunchy on the inside but without any hint of rawness

Servings

2

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 5 mins

Total Time

 15 mins

Course

 Starter

Ingredients

• 1 head of broccoli, stalk cut away and cut into florets

• 1 tin of chickpeas

• 1 garlic clove, crushed

• 60ml olive oil

• 1 bunch of curly kale, stalks removed, cut into small pieces

• 250g ricotta

• 2 tbsp of tarragon

• 2 tbsp of parsley

• zest of ½ lemon

• juice of 1 lemon

• 1 tsp chilli flakes

• sea salt

• black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the grill in your oven to high.

2. Toss the broccoli with the chickpeas in olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and grill for five minutes, tossing once until the broccoli is starting to become tender but is still bright green, slightly charred with a good bite.

3. Massage the kale pieces with the lemon juice and a little sea salt until just starting to become tender. Arrange the broccoli and chickpeas on a platter and arrange the kale pieces in and amongst the mixture. sprinkle over the herbs, tossing gently and spoon ricotta in dollops around the platter.

4. Lastly, sprinkle the lemon zest over and another pinch of salt and pepper. Serve.