Give yourself a health boost this October with Kale
This month the chefs at Cooks & Partners have chosen Kale as their Ingredient of the Month. They have been tinkering in the kitchen with this curly leafy vegetable creating our specials featured in our cafes across London this October.
Why Eat Kale?
Kale, a member of the cabbage family has a huge range of nutritional benefits. The health of our customers is very important to us and just one portion provides 3g of protein, 2.5g of fibre and multi vitamins including A, B, C and K. It's an ingredient thats certainly packed with essentials and makes you feel great. Thats why its classed as a superfood.
Working with Curly Kale
If you can't make it into one of our cafes this month but fancy featuring Kale in one of your dishes at home, use the below tips to purchase and cook your Kale.
When selecting your Kale, ensure that the bunches are firm and vibrant in colour with their stems being moist and strong. The leaves should spring back when you fold them. Wilted leaves with any type of discoloration should be avoided.
To prepare Kale, remove the ribs and any hard stems. Rinse well so its free of all dirt that might be coating the leaves. If you don't you could find your dish quite gritty. Dry in a salad spinner or pat dry with kitchen roll.
Best Ways to Cook Kale
Whilst one can eat Kale raw, we wouldn't advise doing it daily as it contains a lot of indigestable fibre. This could prove problematic. However, many people add Kale in its raw state to other blended juices and fruit combos.
Steaming is a great way to cook this sometimes tough green. Pop the prepared leaves in a steamer and cook for between 5 to 10 minutes. Cooking time is dependent on how much Kale you are cooking and how well you want it cooked.
Boiling Kale is the most common way Kale is cooked. Prepare as above and place in lightly salted boiling water. Return to the boil, cover and cook for 3 minutes. Test a Kale leaf to see if its cooked by sampling a small piece. It should be tender but still chewy. Drain and serve.
A Few Kale Favourites
Below are 6 of our favourite Kale dishes. If you create one at home, let us know how you get on via one of our social media platforms.
