A member of the cabbage family, kale comes in two forms: kale, which has smooth leaves, and curly kale, which has crinkly leaves. Curly kale is the most common of the two.
Instead of forming a head, the leaves grow in a loose rosette at the top of a stem. The leaves are green, sometimes tinged with blue or purple, and their flavour is strong and distinct.
How do I get Kale ready to use?
Break the leaves from the stalk, and trim away the tough centre stalk. Wash, then shred or chop.
What about keeping Kale?
In a perforated bag in the fridge. Kale becomes increasingly bitter the longer it is kept, so eat within two or three days.
How do I cook Kale?
Kale is most commonly boiled. For whole leaves, rinse, then put them in the pan without shaking the water off, cover, then cook for up to 2 minutes, until wilted; drain thoroughly.
For chopped or shredded leaves, put in a pan of water 1cm deep with a pinch of salt, then bring to the boil and simmer up to 5 minutes, until wilted; drain thoroughly. Pan fry (up to 10 minutes).
A member of the cabbage family, kale comes in two forms: kale, which has smooth leaves, and curly kale, which has crinkly leaves. Curly kale is the most common of the two.
Instead of forming a head, the leaves grow in a loose rosette at the top of a stem. The leaves are green, sometimes tinged with blue or purple, and their flavour is strong and distinct. 