RECIPE: Kale Chips -marvelous error!-

But first, a poem. (Antonio Machado, please forgive me.)

Last Night As I Was Cooking
- a poem by Carla Borelli

Last night as I was cooking, I burnt -marvelous error!-
a handful of kale here inside my pan.
I said: Along which secret path, Oh kale, are you coming to me,
kale of a new face that my lips have never touched?

Last night as I was cooking, I burnt -marvelous error!-
leafy green Brassica inside my pan
And the organosulfur compounds were making sweet
crunchy snacks from my old failures.

Last night as I was eating, I saw -marvelous error!-
That a fiery sun was giving light inside my gut.
It was fiery because I felt warmth as from a hearth,
and sun because it gave light to a new taste that brought tears to my eyes.

Last night as I cooked,
I created – marvelous error – a bit of heaven inside my pan.

A few weeks ago, I left some kale sauteeing too long in a pan and discovered a new taste sensation -- Kale Chips. The experience brought to mind a phrase from poet, Antonio Machado -- "bendita ilusion" or "marvelous error" -- which he uses in his poem, Last Night As I Was Sleeping. Machado's poem is so utterly beautiful that I'm afraid posting this cheeky version will land me some sort of misfortune or bad karma. Maybe I should wear garlic around my neck this week. Oh wait, that's for vampires, isn't it, not dead plagiarized poets, never mind.

Back to the Kale Chips...I did a search to see if anyone had made the same "marvelous error" with the kale and, sure enough, vegweb had a recipe. So I list it here with a few changes, namely baking it at a low temperature.  Kale Chips are a delicious snack for adults and a good way to "sneak in" more vegetables with kids. The cider vinegar gives it a nice tang.

Ingredients:

    1-2 big bunches of kale*
    1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
    1 tablespoon olive oil
    Salt (to taste) or favorite seasoning blend (i.e. hot n' spicy Spike)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 250 degrees.

Wash and de-stem kale. Chop or tear into "chip" size pieces and toss in a bowl with the rest of the ingredients to coat.

Spread kale onto baking sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes or until crispy. Serve immediately.

Serves: 3-4


* You can use any green. I used dinosaur kale and red wide-leaf treviso and it was terrific.

Comments

[Beth]

A couple years ago I discovered Mollie Katzen's version which is also very tasty:

http://www.molliekatzen.com/recipes/recipe.php?recipe=kale

[Katrina]

Wouldn't that be bad kalema?

My grandparent's were chicken farmer's that grew and sold kale as chicken feed and would never have thought to eat it themselves. I love it! Thanks for the recipe.

[Cristal Guderjahn]

you know what sounds equally good to me?? Chiso chips! Wouldn't that be awesome?

[Cristal Guderjahn]

Oops...sorry, i meant chiso leaf chips!

[David]

I discovered a version of this a few years ago. I had a pile of largish brussel sprouts. I rough chopped them before tossing with olive oil and a generous hand of salt & pepper. I roasted them until fork tender. When transferring the sprouts to a bowl I saw that the pan was covered with tiny leaflets. I popped one in my mouth--Bliss. This is cook's private treat in my kitchen.

I am now going to experiment with other green bits. Yum!!

[David]

I discovered a version of this a few years ago. I had a pile of largish brussel sprouts. I rough chopped them before tossing with olive oil and a generous hand of salt & pepper. I roasted them until fork tender. When transferring the sprouts to a bowl I saw that the pan was covered with tiny leaflets. I popped one in my mouth--Bliss. This is cook's private treat in my kitchen.

I am now going to experiment with other green bits. Yum!!