Creamed Kale á la “Oui, Chef”

I’m a huge fan of  “Oui,Chef”, his blog and fabulous collection of recipes. I drool over his photos and envy his culinary talent. He is also a really nice, approachable guy who loves his family and keeps them at the center of his life.

When I saw his post about creamed kale, I thought what terrific timing, since I was due to receive a case of winter greens from Cut N Clean Greens. So, I emailed Steve, asking if I could feature him and his recipe in a post. Here it is, creamed kale á la “Oui, Chef”.

Thanks, Steve, for allowing me to do so. Of course, I had to tinker a bit with your recipe. You will no doubt cringe to read that I chose to microwave my kale instead of boiling and “shocking” it. I subbed some Meyer lemon zest for the red pepper flakes, in deference to Larry’s aversion to hot pepper. I had some pistachios in the cupboard, so I toasted a handful and threw them on top of the finished dish.

Serves 3-4

• 4 cups (packed) of organic rainbow kale, chopped and sliced into thin ribbons
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely diced
• zest of one Meyer lemon
• pinch of nutmeg
• 1 cup heavy cream
• kosher salt and/or ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup toasted, unsalted pistachio nuts

1. Place the sliced kale in a microwave-proof bowl, add 1/4 cup water and cover with a paper towel. Microwave on “high” for 1 minute.

2. Drain the kale in a colander. Pat dry with a clean kitchen towel.

3. Using a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until limp, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.

4. Add the kale, lemon zest, nutmeg and cream. Cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, until the cream is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add salt and/or pepper, stir and remove from heat.

5. Using a food processor, pulse the creamed kale 4-6 times to smooth the texture a bit.

6. Pour into serving dish, garnish with the pistachio nuts and serve.