Kale

This was so good, I had to stop myself from eating it all, so Paul could have some when he got home. Yes, he had to work all day today, and the day before that, and the day before that, and the day before that, and the...

We signed up for a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) share. Every week from now until the very last week of October we get a box of organic food, picked that very day, whatever is in season. It's a surprise! Well when I was looking into it I saw that there would be a lot of kale. It was the only thing that was listed more than once. It was listed three times.

Local joe: What do you grow on your farm, JimBob?

JimBob: Down here on the farm, we grow strawberries, corn, kale, eggplant, cabbage, hot peppers, kale, tomatoes, kale, blackberries, kale.... did I say kale already?

Well I've never eaten kale. All I knew that it was a dark green curly leafed vegetable that was probably really good for me and something I wouldn't have liked in high school. But I love the idea of supporting local farmers and eating food that is in season and grown in my very own climate. And maybe I'd like kale.

This is only our second week of CSA and it's our second time eating kale. The first time was good, but this time was a mazing.

Of course, the recipe is Emeril's. He has never let me down. Not one time. I'm trying to think if there's another person who's never let me down. Emeril has transformed my eating standards.

I tweaked it a little, here's my poor-man's version:

Ingredients

• 1 lbs. bacon
• 2 small spring onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds kale, tough stems removed, leaves rinsed well and left damp, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 bullion cube
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a large saute pan, cook the bacon over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. When cool, cut bacon to bite-sized pieces. Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pan.

Return the pan to medium-high heat. Add the butter and when melted, add the onions and garlic, and cook, stirring, until soft, 3 minutes. Add the damp kale and stir to combine. Add 1/2 cup water and the bullion cube. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale is tender, about 5 minutes. Uncover, add the cream and lemon juice, and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the kale is very tender. Add the bacon and adjust the seasoning, to taste.

Serve hot.

Please try. I liked it even better than all the cookie recipes I've tried.

Speaking of cookies, I'm making another recipe tonight. At that point I think I'll be able to confidently declare a winner. I have to say, I do like cookies. I must've just had a lot of bad cookies in my life. But I wish I still didn't like them. They don't make me feel awesome, they just make my mouth awesome, for 1 minute, then I feel all thick in my blood. But the kale leaves me feeling snugly satisfied.