Joan: Grilled Kale for lunch
1. Pick some tender young kale leaves from the garden in the morning, a few handfuls are good. Rinse and pat them dry.
2. When hungry for lunch, heat a grill pan and brush it with butter or ghee.
3. Grill the kale leaves, turning them after a minute or so on each side. Remove to a plate as they finish.
4. Drizzle with good olive oil, sprinkle with coarse sea salt, and top with crumbled fresh, local goat cheese. I didn't do this, but you could also sprinkle some minced garlic over the dish .
5. If desired, and if you have a good ripe tomato on hand, grill a few thick slices of tomato and add to the plate. Drizzle some good balasmic vinegar on the tomatoes and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.
6. Dig in and enjoy! The textures and flavors mingle together nicely, and a chunk of Ann's hommade bread would be good to sop up the juices that are left on the plate.
Note: this recipe was inspired by a wonderful grilled kale dish at the Salt Box restaurant in San Diego. They topped it with some white anchovies and a tapenade-covered thin slice of toast.
Ann: Green chowder
1. Cook or steam a bunch of kale until soft. Reserve. (my kale came from the Green Corps stand at the Shaker Square Farmer's market.)
2. Sauté a small cut up onion along with a little crumbled bacon and its drippings. (Or smoked salmon and vegetable oil.)
3. Slice or cube 2-3 small potatoes and add to pan, along with any seasonal vegetables on hand (sliced zucchini, sliced red pepper, cut corn.) Cover and cook until the potatoes and vegetables are soft.
4. Meanwhile, cut a small amount of the cooked kale into ribbons. Puree the remaining cooked kale in the food processor with 1-2 cups of buttermilk. Transfer buttermilk-kale mixture and the kale ribbons to a pot and heat gently. Add 1/3-1/2 cup mascarpone, cream cheese, or creme fraiche and whisk to blend.
5. Add the cooked onion-potato-vegetable mixture, stir, and season to taste with salt, smoked paprika, fennel seed.