Kale has been cultivated in Europe for thousands of years, and collards are an essential in Southern cooking and what many Southerners mean when they say “greens.” Both have leathery, dark-green leaves with thick, sometimes chalky-looking stems. While they are similar, there are a couple of distinguishing features: Collards’ leaves are flat and can be quite big (as much as 8 inches across), whereas kale leaves are ruffled and range in size and color from narrow and very dark green to fat and greenish gray. They can grow in warmer climates, but they’re actually best when grown in cool weather — even in the snow. Their peak season is midwinter through early spring, but they’re now available year-round.
Buying and storing Look for firm, dark-green leaves with no yellowing or wilting. Young leaves with stems no thicker than a pencil are easier to clean; they’ll likely have a better texture when cooked too. Store wrapped loosely in plastic in the refrigerator for a few days; use before they start to turn yellow.
Preparing Rinse the leaves thoroughly; they can be very sandy. If the stems are thick, strip the leaves, chop the stems, and start cooking them a couple of minutes before the leaves. An easy way to cut the leaves is to roll them up, then cut across the roll.
Best cooking methods Boiling, steaming, braising. Wonderful added to soups and stews. The leaves are good raw and shredded in salads, all the way to braised for long periods of time.
When are they done? When the stems are tender enough to pierce easily with a skewer or thin-bladed knife, unless — and this is sometimes the case — you want the stems on the crunchy side.
Other vegetables you can use Cabbage, chard, beet greens
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Step 1 You may remove the stems if they are very thick. Or just cook them a little longer than the leaves. Cut on either side of them, at an angle. |
Step 2 The easiest way to chop large leaves is to roll them up and cut across the log (see “Chiffonade,” page 23). |