Apple Cider braised kale with tomatoes

Alas, this was the very last of the tomatoes from my garden. The frost has nipped more than the pumpkin. I rushed out the other afternoon to get them before the bad weather really moved in, and they’ve been waiting patiently on the windowsill above my kitchen sink.

I had a kale pasta dish the other day at The Old Granite Street Eatery in downtown Reno, and it reminded me that I love and adore kale. I stopped at Whole Foods and picked up a bunch. If you haven’t tried kale, you’re missing something. It has the heft to stand up to long simmered soups without becoming a mushy, slippery mess like spinach can, and kale retains it’s gorgeous dark green color. I’ve had people tell me that kale is too peppery or bite-y. Not if you prepare it this way. The apple cider is the sweet element that my Swedish grandmother always prepared Kale with.

Additionally, besides tasting good, kale is a nutritional powerhouse.

For this you will need:

One half of a bunch of Lacinto or Red Russian Kale - preferably. Otherwise regular Curly Kale (save the other half to saute with pasta ala The Old Granite Street Eatery)

One half of a medium onion (cut into one inch pieces)

2 cloves of garlic, sliced

1 slice of fresh ginger, minced very finely

4- 5 medium tomatoes cut into chunks

1 cup (plus more if needed) apple cider - unfiltered and unpasteurized if you can get it

4-5 tablespoons olive oil for braising

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

salt to taste

Heat your heavy bottomed dutch oven or cast iron skillet, then add your cooking oil to coat, over medium high flame. Add the kale. Saute for a couple of minutes until the kale just begins to wilt, then add the onions, ginger and garlic, then the tomatoes. Saute another couple minutes.

Add the apple cider and seasonings. Put on a tight fitting lid and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes. Don’t let the apple cider liquid boil away. Add more if necessary. You will love that ‘pot liquor’.

Serve as a side dish, or over cooked brown rice or buckwheat for a vegan meal.

Serves 3 to 4 as a side dish.

Braised celery makes a light, healthy summer dish

Isn’t it a shame that most of us only know a few things to do with that fat, wonderful celery? I mean, besides stirring a Bloody Mary. Really, we put it in salads, or in soup. Or, we fill the stalks with cream cheese or peanut butter. How lame is that?

Since I had bought some beautiful celery at the market the other day, it occurred to me that there must be something else I could do to showcase the crisp, clean, fresh celery flavor. I found this recipe from the Food Networks Alton Brown, and then adapted it to something that would be great out on the patio during the summer heat.

Here’s Alton’s Braised Celery recipe (then I’ll tell you what I did):

• 8 stalks celery, rinsed and trimmed, leaves chopped and reserved
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• Pinch kosher salt
• Pinch freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup good quality beef stock or broth

Directions

Peel any of the fibrous outer stalks of celery with a vegetable peeler and slice into 1-inch pieces on the bias.

Heat the butter in a 10-inch sauté pan over medium heat. Once melted, add the celery, salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes until just beginning to soften slightly. Add the beef broth and stir to combine. Cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook until the celery is tender but not mushy, approximately 5 minutes. Uncover and allow the celery to continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes or until the liquid has been reduced to a glaze. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with the reserved leaves.

Now, here’s what I was after - considering that I wanted tomatoes in the game:

I braised the celery - prepared at Brown did - with sliced Walla Walla onions and garlic in olive oil rather than butter. Then I added a small handful of drained and rinsed caper berries and a large can of low sodium diced tomatoes rather than the beef broth. I let it simmer over very low heat with the lid on, adding cracked pepper, fresh oregano, thyme and parsley from the garden. Adjust the salt to taste.

After all was tender and yummy, I let it cool down in the refrigerator. We like this at room temperature with a bit of white balsamic or Spanish Jerez sherry vinegar drizzled on it. In the photo, I’d topped it with some crumbled feta cheese, serving it with some olives, fresh cantalope and crusty artisan bread for a quick, healthy mid-day meal.

Everybody loves this dish, and it’s easy on the stomach during hot weather. It keeps well, being even tastier, cold, the next day for lunch with a sandwich. This would also be a really different potluck item you may want to try for the next summer patio party.