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Posts Tagged ‘Kale’

Honey & Soy Glazed Salmon with Green Quinoa

Posted in Fish, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 23 February 2023| Leave a Comment »

And so we’ve realised that we do like quinoa after all. This green salad is delicious and the quantity given below is half that suggested by Neven Maguire. Feel free to double if you think you can manage it.

Wine Suggestion: We think this suits a young, fruit forward Cabernet Franc like Olga Raffault Cuvée Domaine. Unoaked and joyful dark cherry fruits with a crispness and earthiness that really complements the kale, spinach and watercress.

Honey and Soy Glazed Salmon with Green Quinoa – serves 4

  • 100ml soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp honey
  • a good pinch of chilli flakes
  • 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 4 salmon fillets, skin on

FOR THE QUINOA:

  • 75g quinoa
  • 150ml vegetable stock
  • 50g curly kale, remove the stalks
  • 50g baby spinach
  • 50g pistachios, toasted and chopped
  • 40g watercress
  • ½ an avocado, diced
  • ¼ cucumber, deseeded and finely diced
  • 1 tbsp chopped coriander
  • lime wedges, to garnish

Rince the quinoa then put into a small saucepan with the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid and simmer gently for 10-12 minutes until tender and the stock has been absorbed. Tip into a large bowl and leave to cool.

Put the soy sauce, honey and chilli flakes into a small bowl and whisk to combine.

Prep the rest of the ingredients for the quinoa and fold them gently in to the cooled quinoa. Taste and season with salt and black pepper.

Season the salmon fillets, then heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the rapeseed and sesame oil, then fry the salmon fillets, skin side up, for 2-3 minutes, until lightly golden. Turn them over gently and cook for another 4 minutes. Turn the heat to hight and pour in the honey and soy mixture. Allow to simmer for a couple of minutes, spooning the sauce over the salmon, it should thicken to a syrupy sauce.

Put the quinoa onto a large serving platter and sit the salmon fillets on top. Drizzle over the syrupy sauce and garnish with the lime wedges.

(Original recipe from More Midweek Meals by Neven Maguire, Gill Books, 2022.)

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Conchiglioni Stuffed with Kale, Spinach and Ricotta

Posted in Food, Italian, Pasta, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on 12 February 2023| Leave a Comment »

Who can resist a stuffed pasta shell? In this one the joy is the balance between fresh ricotta, iron-rich kale, and a rich tomato sauce.

Wine Suggestion: We’d suggest the open, accessability of a youthful Barbaresco from Piedmont, as opposed the depth and moodiness of a Barolo. We have at hand Pico Maccario’s rendition that has a sense of fun which is sometimes lost by winemakers trying to make the next best thing … and we applaud them; wine is to be drunk and enjoyed too.

Conchiglioni stuffed with kale, spinach and ricotta – serves 4

  • 250g kale, stalks removed
  • 100g spinach
  • 1 green chilli, roughly chopped
  • handful of parsley leaves
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 250g ricotta
  • 50g Parmesan, grated
  • ½ nutmeg, grated
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 200g conchiglioni
  • 750ml slow-cooked tomato sauce
  • 125g ball of mozzarella

Blanch the kale in lots of salty boiling water, then remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and straight into a bowl of iced water. Repeat with the spinach but cook for just 30 seconds.

Squeeze all the water out of the spinach and kale and put into a food processor. Add the chilli and parsley, then whizz for a few seconds. Scrape out into a bowl and add the ricotta, 30g of the Parmesan, the numeg, and lemon zest. Stir well to combine, then transfer to a piping bag.

Preheat the oven to 220C/200 Fan/Gas 7.

Bring a large pan of salty water to the boil and cook the pasta for 10 minutes – it should be a little more than al dente. Drain and leave until cool enough to handle.

Pour the tomato sauce into a medium-sized baking dish.

Pipe the kale mixture into the pasta shells and settle them snugly into the tomato sauce, pushing them down a little. Tear the mozzarella over the top and sprinkle with the rest of the Parmesan.

Bake in the hot oven for 20 minutes, then serve with a green salad.

(Original recipe from Slow by Gizzi Erskine, HQ, 2018.)

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Summer Minestrone Soup

Posted in Food, Healthy, Italian, Pasta, Soup, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 17 July 2022| 2 Comments »

We don’t stop making soups in the summer, and in fact we often need them to use up bits and pieces. At the moment that means the courgettes that are growing faster than we can eat them. Whatever the excuse this is bursting with summery flavours and a joy to eat, especially outside on a hot summer afternoon.

Summer Minestrone Soup – serves 6

  • 3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling over to serve
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 stick of celery, finely chopped
  • 1 carrot, finely chopped
  • 2 courgettes, finely chopped (use green and yellow if you have them)
  • 70g diced smoked pancetta
  • 1 large clove of garlic, finely grated
  • ½ tsp dried oregano
  • 400g tin cannellini beans
  • 400g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp tomato purée
  • 1.2 litres vegetable stock
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 70g fideua pasta (or other small pasta)
  • 100g kale, stalks removed and roughly chopped
  • a handful of basil leaves, to serve
  • finely grated Parmesan, to serve

Warm the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrot, courgette and pancetta. Season well with salt and pepper and cook gently for about 10 minutes.

Add the garlic and oregano and cook for another minute, then add the beans, tinned tomatoes, tomato purée, vegetable stock and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer, then cook for 30 minutes.

Add the pasta and kale and cook for a final 10 minutes.

Taste for seasoning, then serve in warm bowls, with some basil and Parmesan over the top.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food).

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Brussels Sprouts and Parmesan Salad with Lemon Dressing

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Side dish, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 15 December 2021| Leave a Comment »

We loved this dish! Bursting with flavour and the perfect wintery side salad. The leftovers were also good the next day. You can use capers instead of anchovies if you prefer.

Wine suggestion: This dish works really well with a good, dry Chenin Blanc. Our current favourite is Bernard Fouquet’s Domaine Aubuissieres Vouvray Silex Sec. Dry and full of yellow apple fruits and layers of texture, while remaining discrete enough to allow the sprouts and parmesan to come through.

Brussels sprout and Parmesan salad with lemon dressing – serves 4

  • 700g small brussels sprouts, trimmed, leave 500g whole and thinly shave the rest
  • 4 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
  • 60ml lemon juice
  • 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 1 ½ tbsp wholegrain mustard
  • 2 anchovies in oil, drained and roughly chopped
  • 60g Parmesan, 20g roughly grated and the rest cut into shards – a veg peeler will do this nicely
  • 120g kale leaves, discard the stems and thinly shred the leaves
  • 1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
  • 20g basil leaves
  • 70g blanched hazelnuts, well toasted and roughly chopped

Heat the oven to 220C fan.

Line a tray with baking paper and add the whole sprouts, 2 tbsp of oil, ½ tsp of salt and plenty of black pepper, toss to combine. Roast for 18 minutes, stirring halfway, until well browned and cooked through, then leave to cool.

Meanwhile, put the lemon juice, garlic, mustard, anchovies, grated Parmesan, 3 tbsp of oil, ¼ tsp of salt and plenty of black pepper into the small bowl of a food processor and whizz until smooth.

Put the kale, the shaved sprouts, the dressing, ¼ tsp of salt and plenty of black pepper into a large bowl and toss with your hands, massaging the leaves gently. Leave to soften and wilt for about 10 minutes.

Add the onion, basil, chopped hazelnuts, Parmesan shards and roasted sprouts to the bowl and mix to combine. Turn out onto a platter to serve.

(Original recipe from OTK Shelf Love by Noor Murad & Yotam Ottolenghi, Ebury Press, 2021.)

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Kale & Onion Pizza Topping

Posted in Food, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , on 20 May 2020| Leave a Comment »

Kale & onion pizza

Made in our savagely hot Ooni pizza oven cranked up with charcoal to 500°C and with Gill Mellor’s pizza dough. You can  choose your own pizza cooking method (oven as hot as it goes etc) and pizza dough recipe, or even buy some of the ready-made bases you can get now. This is all about the topping which was inspired by our favourite farm shop (the McNally’s in north County Dublin) which had fabulous green and red kale.

We make odd-shaped pizzas, one day we’ll pay enough attention to do round ones… maybe.

Kale & Onion Pizza Topping – enough for 3 pizzas

  • 3 tbsp olive oil, plus a little extra
  • 2 onions, thinly sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 300g bunch curly kale or cavolo nero, sliced into fine ribbons
  • 100g mature Cheddar

Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, then add the onions. When they start to sizzle, turn the heat to low and cook gently for about 15 minutes, or until soft and golden. Add the garlic halfway through.

Stir the kale into the onions and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring, until the leaves have wilted. Season with salt and pepper.

Spread a third of the kale and onions over your pizza base and top with a third of the cheddar. Drizzle with some olive oil and cook in a roasting hot oven until done to your liking.

(Original recipe from River Cottage Veg Everyday! by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Bloomsbury, 2011.)

 

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Paneer, Tomato and Kale Saag

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Indian, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 13 March 2020| Leave a Comment »

Paneer, Tomato and Kale Saag

This is from Meera Sodha’s amazing veggie book, East. We have Meera’s Indian recipe books and we often cook the recipes she writes for the Guardian. This book has an Eastern, but not exclusively Indian, influence and the recipes are mouthwateringly good. We’ve noticed people have mixed reactions towards kale, if you’re on the fence we reckon this is probably the best kale-based dish we’ve ever eaten. We served with naan bread from the local takeaway.

Panner, tomato & kale saag – serves 4

  • 500g kale, discard the stems and roughly chop the rest
  • rapeseed oil
  • 450g paneer, cut into 2cm dice (if you’re buying 200g packs just buy 2)
  • 2 onions, finely chopped
  • 2 cm ginger, peeled and grated
  • 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 2 green finger chillies, finely chopped
  • 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 1½ tsp ground coriander
  • 1½ tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp ground turmeric
  • 1½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp brown rice syrup (we used runny honey)
  • 1 x 400ml tin coconut milk

Blitz the kale in a food processor and chop it very finely. Unless your food processor is huge you will need to do a few batches.

Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large, nonstick frying pan, that you have a lid for. Fry the cubes of paneer for a couple of minutes on each side or until they have taken on a nice golden colour. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Heat another 2 tbsp of oil in the same pan and cook the onions over a medium heat for about 10 minutes or until soft. Add the ginger, garlic and chillies and continue to cook for another 5 minutes.

Stir in the tin of tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes or until reduced to a paste. Add the coriander, cumin, turmeric, salt and honey (or brown rice syrup) and mix in well.

Stir in a handful of kale at a time. It will seem like you have too much but it will wilt in perfectly. Stir in the coconut milk, then bring to a simmer, cover with a lid, and simmer gently for 15 minutes.

Add the paneer to the pan and cook for another 10 minutes with the lid on. Keep an eye that it doesn’t dry out and add a splash of water if necessary.

Taste to check that it has all come together and the kale is tender. Remove from the heat and serve with warm naan bread.

(Original recipe from East by Meera Sodha, Penguin Books, 2019.)

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Cheesy Kale Bake

Posted in Food, Side dish, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , on 25 February 2018| 2 Comments »

Cheesy Kale Bake

Kale is everywhere and not our choice to put in a smoothie, but absolutely delicious when smothered with cheese sauce.

Cheesy kale bake – serves 4

  • 400g curly kale, remove the stalks and thickly shred
  • 25g butter
  • 25g plain flour
  • 400ml milk
  • 250g Cheddar or Gruyère cheese (or a mixture), grated
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.

Put a large pan of water onto a high heat, add a tsp of salt and bring to the boil. Tip in the kale and cook for a couple of minutes or until almost tender. When it has cooled a bit squeeze the leaves with your hands to remove excess water and spread out in an ovenproof dish (20 x 25cm).

To make the cheese sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat, add the flour and cook for a minute or until bubbling. Gradually add the milk, whisking or stirring all the time, then reduce the heat and cook for 3-4 minutes or until thickened. Remove the sauce from the heat, add half the cheese and season with salt and pepper.

Pour the cheese sauce over the kale and sprinkle over the rest of the cheese, then bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden and bubbling.

(Original recipe from Rachel’s Everyday Kitchen by Rachel Allen, HarperCollins, 2013.)

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Celeriac Purée

Posted in Food, Side dish, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 31 March 2014| 1 Comment »

Celeriac purée

We’re still waiting on spring veg to arrive in Ireland but we’re comforting ourselves with the old root veggies. We love the earthiness that celeriac brings to lamb cutlets and kale or lighter dishes like seared scallops.

Wine Suggestion: You could try a New World Pinot from a cooler climate, like New Zealand, balancing not too much weight with a joyful fruit and freshness that works with the lamb and creamy celeriac.

Celeriac purée – to serve 4

  • 1 lemon
  • 350g celeriac
  • 150g floury potatoes
  • 50ml double cream or crème fraîche
  • 25-50ml milk
  • 15g butter
  • salt and freshly ground white pepper

Peel and cut the celeriac into 5 cm chunks. Submerge in cold water acidulated with some juice from the lemon.

Peel and cut the potatoes into chunks the same size as the celeriac and put into a small saucepan. Cover with salted water, bring to the boil, then simmer for about 15 minutes, or until tender.

Drain the celeriac chunks and put in a separate saucepan, cover with salted water, add a little lemon juice and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until tender – it will take longer than the potato.

When the vegetables are soft, drain them well and allow to steam-dry in colanders for a few minutes. Mash the potato using a potato ricer or push it through a sieve. Mash the celeriac either with a potato ricer or by blending in a food processor. Combine both vegetables in a clean saucepan.

Put the pan over a gentle heat and stir in the cream and milk. Stir in the butter, season well with salt and pepper and serve.

(Original recipe from Leith’s How To Cook by Claire McDonald and Jenny Stringer, Quadrille, 2013.)

 

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Kale and Mushroom Lasagne

Posted in Food, Pasta, Pinot Noir, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , on 24 November 2012| 2 Comments »

This is a really good veggie lasagne filled with curly kale and garlicky mushrooms – delicious! It is also much easier to put together than the usual meaty version and tastes much more luxurious.

Kale and mushroom lasagne – to serve 6

  • 300g curly kale, stalks removed
  • 30g butter
  • 500g mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • a few sprigs of thyme, leaves only, chopped
  • 175g lasagne sheets (fresh if possible)
  • 20g Parmesan, grated
  • olive oil

For the béchamel sauce 

  • 750ml full-fat milk
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 onion, roughly chopped
  • 1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
  • a few black peppercorns
  • 50g unsalted butter
  • 50g plain flour
  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard

Heat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4. Heat the milk with the bay leaf, onion, celery and peppercorns until almost simmering. Take off the heat and leave aside to infuse.

Roughly shred the kale. Put into a large saucepan and just cover with cold water. Add salt. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for a few minutes, or until just tender. Drain well and set aside.

Heat half the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add half the mushrooms and season. Increase the heat and fry, stirring, until the liquid released has evaporated and the mushrooms are starting to brown and caramelise. Stir in half the garlic and half the thyme, cook for another minute, then remove to a bowl. Repeat with the rest of the mushrooms, garlic and thyme and set aside.

Gently reheat the milk, then strain. Heat the butter for the béchamel in a large saucepan. Stir in the flour and cook gently for a couple of minutes. Take off the heat. Add about a quarter of the hot milk and beat vigorously until smooth. Add the rest of the milk in about 3 batches, until you have a smooth sauce. Put the pan back on the heat and cook for  a few minutes, stirring and allowing the sauce to bubble gently, until thickened. Stir in the mustard, then season well.

Stir roughly half of the béchamel sauce into the kale.

Spread half the remaining sauce over the bottom of an ovenproof dish (approx. 28 x 22cm). Layer a third of the lasagne sheets in the dish, then spoon the kale over the top. Add another layer of lasagne, then add the mushrooms,. Finish with a final layer of pasta and the rest of the sauce.

Scatter the cheese over the top and add a trickle of oil. Bake for about 30 minutes until golden. Serve right away.

Wine Suggestion: We went for a red Burgundy from a lesser appellation (Santenay) in Burgundy with five years of age. It had a delightful earthiness and red forest fruit character which really complemented the flavours of the mushroom and kale.

(Original recipe from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage Veg Everyday!, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2011.)

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Fennel, Chickpea & Prawn Stew

Posted in Food, Healthy, Shellfish, tagged , , , , , , on 30 September 2011| Leave a Comment »

A much needed healthy dinner – we’ve been eating lots of meat and rich sauces recently and have more of the same planned for the weekend. Try this with a hunk of bread to mop your plate. Really easy and tasty but don’t forget to season!

  • 1/2 a bulb of fennel, finely sliced
  • 4 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
  • 1tsp paprika
  • 1  tin chopped tomatoes
  • 1  tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  •  a handful of cavelo nero or kale
  • 150g raw prawns
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan and add the fennel. Cook for about 5 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and paprika and fry for another minute before adding the tomatoes. Turn up the heat and cook for 5 minutes, until thickened.

Stir in the chickpeas, chopped greens, seasoning and a splash of water and cook for 2 minutes. Add the prawns and cook until just pink.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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