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Homegrown Kale Chips

The price of Kale in my local shops is surprisingly high given how easy it is to grow – in the garden it doesn’t seem to need as much water as some things once it is established, and produces lots of leaves over a month or more. I find  Kale seductively beautiful with its chunky dark green leaves and strong flavour.

Here is my little Kale patch – nearly time to plant some more.

kale chips (1 of 1)

I often make quiche or bean & Kale stews but I’d never heard of Kale chips until I found a bag for sale at a health food store. Unfortunately the bag I bought tasted a bit like garden mulch so I was interested to see if they tasted any better home made. The result really surprised me – these babies are not just delicious “for Kale”, they are delicious full stop! My first tray full hardly made it out of the oven.

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Isn’t this a handsome veggie?

Method

Cut or tear the large central stems out of each leaf. You can just squeeze the central stem and run your fingers down it to tear it out easily.

Wash the leaves and dry them well – I used my  salad spinner.

Mix a few glugs of olive oil with any seasonings – I used salt, paprika and a clove of mashed garlic.

Toss and turn the leaves in the oil until well coated.

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In a low oven, bake in a single layer on a baking tray until the leaves are completely crispy. I went with 160C for about 20 minutes, turning part way through.

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They shrivel a fair bit but because Kale is quite chunky they still have some volume.

 

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Sourdough Taralli

Taralli are one of those snacks that sound simple but deliver so much flavour that you can’t stop till you’ve eaten way more than you should. They are basically ring shaped bread sticks, often made with fennel seeds but also other flavours like chilli flakes or herbs. They are shaped, briefly boiled to give them a nice smooth skin, then baked until crispy. Yesterday I had some spare sourdough starter to use so I made a sourdough batch. If you don’t have sourdough handy just use a 1/4 teaspoon of yeast.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups plain white flour
  • 1/4 cup sourdough starter
  • level tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup water + a little more for adjusting the dough
  • 1 tbsp whole fennel seeds, or any other flavours. Oregano flakes or chilli flakes are nice. I think you could use grated parmesan too but I haven’t tried it yet. You can also make them plain.

Method

Mix all ingredients together. Add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time until the mixture is smooth but not too sticky. Turn out onto a board or clean benchtop and knead for a minute until smooth.

Put the dough in a covered bowl and leave until it has risen noticeably but not significantly. With my sourdough starter this was 4-5 hours. If you’re using instant dried yeast 2 hours will likely be long enough.

Bring a pot full of water to a simmer; drizzle a little olive oil into a large baking tray.

Divide the dough into pieces about the size of a large grape, eg about a heaped teaspoon.

taralli (1 of 8)

Roll each piece between your hands to make a snake about 10cm /4 inches long and 1cm / 2/5 of an inch thick.

taralli (2 of 8)

Make a ring out of the snake and give the ends a squeeze so they stick together. Each ring needs to be boiled for about a minute, until it floats, then scooped out with a slotted spoon and transferred to the oiled tray. If you work fast you can drop them into the water as you go – otherwise add them in batches.

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When all of the Taralli have been boiled put the tray into a medium oven, about 180C/350F for an hour. Check them now and then; if they are getting too dark reduce the heat a little. After an hour carefully prod a few to see if they’re cooked – they should all be hard and crispy.

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If they are still soft cook a little longer. When done, eat one as soon as you can without getting burnt and let the rest cool down on a rack.

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Store in an air tight jar or snap lock bag.

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You may choose to have the ends cross over a bit. My missus says they look like a dog poo that way though.

 

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Cheesy Polenta Fritters

This recipe is another that I was eager to try from Artusi’s cookbook. I don’t know if I’ve got it exactly as described in the book yet but it’s a delicious late night munchie as much as a great idea for an appetiser. The recipe is as simple as a slice of cheese between 2 discs of polenta, dipped in crumbs and fried. This is a good appetiser to have up your sleeve as it is very easy to make gluten free – instead of using bread crumbs, either use dry polenta or a gluten free bread crumb,  I use one called corn crispy crumbs that I actually prefer to regular bread crumbs. Or you can leave it un-crumbed and just fry the polenta directly which also works well.

  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup polenta
  • 1 tbsp grated parmesan
  • about 100g gruyere or other tasty swiss cheese, sliced
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs

To make the polenta mix milk, water, polenta and parmesan in a large microwave save container – I use a ceramic casserole dish. The parmesan is optional but the polenta may be a littlebland without it. Stir well and set aside for a few minutes to start soaking up the water. Microwave the bowl of polenta for 4 minutes, remove and stir well. Wear oven mitts as the bowl and steam are very hot. Return to the microwave for another 2 minutes, remove and stir, then a final 2 minutes. Spoon out a little bit, blow on it and taste to make sure it is creamy. If still at all gritty it can be microwaved a little longer.

Pour out the polenta onto a large oiled chopping board or baking tray. Use a wet knife or the back of a spoon to flatten the surface as much as possible – Artusi says to “spread it out to the thickness of barely half a finger”. Mines a little too thick here. Allow to cool and set – it’s a little faster in the fridge.

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When set, use a cookie cutter to cut out circles of polenta.

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Lay a slice of gruyere or other cheese between 2 discs to make little sandwiches.

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Crack an egg into a bowl, beat lightly and pour crumbs into another bowl. Dip each sandwich into egg, then crumbs. Fry in a good glug of olive oil. I find anything crumbed is always best fried over fairly moderate heat so that it can cook through without the crumbs burning.

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So far we’ve just wolfed these down out of the pan but I think they’d be good with a sauce too – maybe some kind of chutney?

polenta fritters (7 of 7)