One of the best things about my new puppy Ellie is that she gets me up early and is ready to walk when it’s still cool outside. That gets me moving earlier in the day, and gave me time to visit my garden before it got too hot.We’ve been doused with rain for several nights in a row and the sort of waterproof kale leaves held huge droplets.
Isn’t nature just beautiful?Last year I got 4 full harvests from one row of Swiss chard by simply cutting it and letting it re-sprout itself, so I am trying that this year with the kale.That one four foot row of kale filled a tall kitchen trash bag, and weighed about 10 pounds.I soaked it in a sink of cold water to remove bugs and dirt – I try to keep my garden organic unless I have a horrible outbreak of something – and nearly jumped out of my skin when a daddy long legs spider crawled down my face! It took me an hour to strip all of the kale leaves from the inedible stems.Kale wilts down like spinach, but it’s tougher, so I actually blanched it in boiling water for a minute on each batch before draining it (in my new colander from Costco which I love!). Believe it or not, that full bag of kale only yielded 3 pounds of cooked kale. I bagged up 2 pounds in individual bags for use in stews this winter……then made a really simple crustless kale pie with the rest. Mix chopped cooked kale with softened onions, feta, goat cheese, mozzarella, eggs, salt and pepper.Nutmeg really sets off the flavor of greens. I forgot I had this cute nutmeg grinder so was happy to pull it out to use.Pour the mixture into a baking dish, cover and bake. You can eat this as a vegetarian entree or serve it up as a side dish.And it’s a great way to get more of this super-food into your diet.
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 pound cooked kale, squeezed dry and chopped
- 4 eggs, lightly beaten
- 4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
- 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
- 4 ounces creamy goat cheese
- salt and pepper, to taste
- ground nutmeg, to taste
- Heat oil in a skillet and cook onion until just barely soft, about 5 minutes. Combine onion and kale and stir in beaten eggs. Add cheeses and stir, then season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg and stir once more time.
- Pour into a greased 8 x 8 inch glass baking dish, cover with foil, and bake at 375 degrees until set, about 45 minutes. Let cool slightly before slicing and serving.