Beautiful, beautiful kale!
The purpley-one is Red Kale and the long, skinny dark-green one is Lacinato Kale.
These funny looking parsnips are actually from my garden. I finally got around to digging them up and it's apparent that I should have done a better job of thinning them out. Many were too small to use, but there were also plenty that were a decent size. (On a side note, I learned earlier that parsnips require a freeze to convert their starches to sugars. I tried one in the fall and it was horrible--chalky and dry. But now they are sweet and tender!)
I turned all of this into Parsnip-Potato Kale Cakes (recipe follows).
We ate our Kale Cakes with the most delicious pork chops from Samish Bay Cheese. They are a farm up near Bellingham that raises beef and pork in addition to making cheese. They call their pork Whey Tastier because they also feed their pork the residual whey from their cheese-making process. I am more than happy to participate in that kind of recycling!
To keep the pork chops from drying out during cooking, I first brined them for about two hours in a solution that was 1/4 cup kosher salt, 1/8 cup sugar and about 3 cups water. Before cooking I rinsed them, patted them dry in paper towels and then sprinkled with pepper (no salt!). To cook, I seared both sides of the meat in olive oil over medium-high heat and then put the pan into a 350 degree oven for about 5-7 minutes. While the meat was resting, I deglazed the pan with about 1 cup of ruby port. I let it reduce until it was slightly thick and glazey, then combined it with the juices from the resting meat.
Everything was "whey" tasty. The meat was tender and juicy, and the Kale Cakes were crisp on the outside and warm and comforting throughout. The only negative was that the cakes soaked up all of the delicious pan juices too quickly. Not only did this create a soggy cake by the end, but we also ran out of juice to dip the pork into. I can think of worse problems for a Monday night.
Parsnip-Potato Kale Cakes
Serves 4
2 bunches kale
1/2 pound parsnips, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 pound potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg, preferably freshly grated
2 eggs
1 cup breadcrumbs or Panko
About 3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. butter
salt and pepper
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the potato pieces and boil for about 10 minutes. Add the parsnip pieces to the potatoes and boil another 5-10 minutes or until both are soft when poked with a fork. Fish out the potato and parsnip pieces with a strainer and allow the water to return to a boil.
Separate the stems from the kale leaves and wash the leaves thoroughly. Add the kale leaves to the boiling water and let boil for about 5 minutes, until slightly wilted. Drain and transfer immediately to a bowl of ice water. Allow to cool. When the kale is cool enough to touch, grab fist-fulls of it and squeeze out as much water as possible. Lay it out on paper towels and press firmly to dry. Bring the kale together into a tight bunch on a cutting board then chop finely.
Heat 1 Tbsp. of olive oil in large saute pan over medium heat. Add 3 cloves of the garlic and the pepper flakes; saute briefly, 30 seconds or so, then add the chopped kale. Cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is cooked and any moisture has been evaporated, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Meanwhile, beat 1 egg in a large bowl. Using a potato ricer, squeeze the cooked parsnips and potatoes into the bowl with the egg (or alternatively, mash the parsnips and potatoes in a separate bowl and then add to the egg). Add the kale, remaining garlic, grated parmesan, and grated nutmeg. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly—hands work best for this!
Beat the other egg in a small bowl and place the breadcrumbs in another bowl.
Divide the potato/kale mixture into four even balls. Working one at a time, press one ball into a flattened disc in the palm of your hand, about 4 inches in diameter. Dip it into the egg, then roll it in the breadcrumbs to cover. Set on a piece of waxed paper and repeat with the remaining kale cakes.
Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil and 1 Tbsp. of butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. When oil is hot (just beginning to smoke), add two kale cakes to the pan, pressing lightly with the back of a spatula to make them a bit thinner. Fry about 3 minutes a side. Remove to a plate, then heat remaining oil/butter and fry remaining two cakes.
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