Sauteed kale

So after much searching, and drooling over pictures that had nothing to do with kale, I decided to try something simple with my leafy greens. I looked up how to prepare kale, and there were lots of different options.

I started by rinsing the kale for a long while, making sure to go over every leaf to get off the dirt and grit. Nobody wants that!

Then I de-stemmed the leaves by cutting a "V" shape along the rib, removing the stems.

I chopped it all into about 1"x2" pieces, then tossed it into a pan with about 1 1/2 cups water. I put a lid on, and let it come to a boil. I had read that kale can be rather tough, and steaming isn't always enough. I kept a close eye on it, as I didn't want to over cook it. It took about 7 minutes.

I dumped it all into a strainer and let it drip. Meanwhile, I chopped up 3 small cloves of garlic and tossed them into a large saute pan with some olive oil. I stirred this around on medium low for a couple of minutes until the garlic started to brown. I sprinkled in some crushed red pepper flakes, to taste, and then add the drained kale back in.

I suteed this just until everything was well coated and hot. At the last minute I put on some sesame sprinkle instead of salt. Kale really shrinks down! I couldn't believe how little was left in the pan, once it was cooked, compared to what I had started with!

My mother in law had made a fish entree (something baked with cheese and mushrooms. It was good!), and my father in law had made some polenta (not pictured). We filled up our plates, and enjoyed every bite!

That's correct, you heard me right, I enjoyed my kale! There wasn't even the slightest bit of bitterness to it! I didn't over cook it, so it had a bit of tooth, but it wasn't tough at all! I think I just started a love affair with kale! I hope that little farm stand has a good supply, cuz I'll be down there all the time!