I want to talk about a dark green plant today. It is very good for you. The name of it is how to cook kale garlic kale recipe. I love to make this warm side dish in my own home. It is a great way to eat more fresh green leaves. It has a great soft bite. It comes with a warm sweet garlic taste. I will tell you how I make it. I will tell you my sad past fails too.
A Need For Good Green Food
It was a long dull day last week. I sat at my home desk for many hours. I write food words for my own blog all day long. My tired hands felt very sore and stiff. The clock struck five in the late day. I had a big crave for hot fresh food. But I did not want heavy rich fat. I test rich sweet foods for my blog all week long.
I wanted a fresh green plant instead. I walked to my cold fridge. I saw a big bunch of dark green leaves. I knew just what to make. I would cook a fast hot green side dish. It is a very smart way to end a long hard work day.
My Sad Past Kitchen Fail
I try new home foods all the time. But I fail a whole lot too. I must tell you the clear truth. My first time doing this went so very wrong. I was in a big rush that dark night. I did not cut the hard thick stems off the green plant. I just chopped the whole big bunch up fast. I put it all in a hot dry pan.
The soft green leaves burned up fast into black ash. The hard thick stems stayed tough like raw wood. I tasted one small piece. It was so bad and hard to chew. I had to throw it all in the trash bin. I felt so mad at myself. Good fresh food costs hard cash. I learned a huge rule that sad day. You must pull the tough wood stems out. Do not skip this big safe rule.
The Simple Tools You Need
You do not need big fancy chef tools for this. You just need basic plain home things. I keep my kitchen tools very simple and clean. Too many tools make me feel stressed out. A big wet mess makes me feel bad. Here is what I use to make this green hot dish.
My Tool Chart
| Tool Name | Why I Use It Here |
| Big Iron Pan | To hold all the big raw green leaves. |
| Sharp Steel Knife | To cut the green plant and white garlic. |
| Clean Wood Board | To chop the fresh food up safe. |
| Long Wood Spoon | To stir the hot sweet garlic in the oil. |
| Metal Food Tongs | To toss the hot green leaves fast. |
The Fresh Food Parts You Need
Let us talk about the sweet fresh food. Good pure food needs good raw parts. I buy all this at my local food shop. It does not cost a ton of cash. This makes me smile a big warm smile. I will break it down for you right now.
The Dark Green Leaves
You need one big fresh bunch of raw kale. Look for dark green thick leaves. Do not buy the thin sad yellow ones. Yellow means the plant is too old. Feel the curly green skin. It must feel firm and tight. Do not buy soft or wet stalks.
The Fresh White Garlic
You need fresh white garlic cloves. Do not buy the dry white dust in a jar. It does not taste the same at all. Fresh raw garlic gives a sweet deep warm taste. It makes the dark green leaves taste so grand.
The Wet Slick Oil
You need a good slick fat to cook with. I use a dark green olive oil. It coats the hot flat pan very well. You also need a pinch of fine white salt. You need a small splash of cold tap water too.
How To Pick The Best Oil
The hot wet fat you use is very key. You must buy a good pure oil. I like to use dark extra virgin olive oil. It has a very deep rich fruit taste. It smells like a warm sunny day.
Do not buy cheap clear seed oil. It has no taste at all. It does not help the dark green plant taste good. Spend a few more cash dollars on the good dark oil. It will last a long time in your home pantry. It makes a big pure change in your home meals.
How To Prep The Raw Plant
This is a very fun step to do. It takes a bit of time but it is worth it. You must take great care with the raw fresh food.
Step One Wash It Well
You must wash the dark green leaves first. Run them under cold tap water. The curly leaves hide a lot of dry dirt. Rub the green tips with your clean hands. Get all the top dirt off. Pat them dry with a clean cloth. They must be quite dry before they hit the hot oil.
Step Two Pull The Hard Wood
Now you must take the hard wood stems out. You do not need a sharp knife for this. Just take one green stalk in your two hands. Hold the hard base with one hand. Pinch the soft green leaf with your other hand. Pull your hand straight up the hard stalk. The soft green leaf will rip right off. Keep the top soft green parts for the hot pan.
Step Three Cut It Small
Put the big soft leaves on a clean wood board. Take your sharp steel knife. Chop the big green leaves into small bits. Make them bite size. If they are too big, they are hard to chew. Put the cut green bits in a big glass bowl.
What To Do With Hard Stems
Do not throw the hard wood stems in the trash bin right away. You can save them for later. I put them in a big clear zip bag. I put the full bag in my cold deep freeze.
When I want to make a hot wet soup, I take them out. I boil the hard green stems in hot tap water. They make a great fresh green plant stock. It is a smart way to use the whole raw plant. It saves you more hard cash too. I love a good smart food hack.
How To Prep The Fresh Garlic
You must prep the raw white spice too. Take two whole cloves of fresh garlic. Smash them flat with the wide side of your steel knife. Peel the dry thin skin off.
Chop the white flesh up very small. Make sure the bits are all the same size. Set the small white bits on a small clean plate. Keep them close to the hot stove. They will cook very fast in the hot dark oil.
Time And Cost Facts
I love to track my home food math. It helps me save my hard cash. It helps me plan my busy week out. This fresh green snack is cheap to make. Look at my math chart below to see the facts.
My Math Chart
| Math Fact | The True Amount |
| Prep Work Time | Ten Short Minutes |
| Hot Cook Time | Five Short Minutes |
| Total Cash Cost | Three Cash Dollars |
| Cost Per Plate | One Cash Dollar |
| Total Portions | Three Small Warm Plates |
Let Us Cook The Food Now
Now we will cook the food. Set your big iron pan on the stove top. Turn the heat to a medium low flame. Let the heavy pan get warm. This is where the magic starts to show.
Heat The Dark Oil
Pour a small splash of dark oil in the warm pan. Let the slick oil get hot. It will start to shine bright in the warm light. Do not let it smoke hot. Smoke means the fat is too hot and bad.
Cook The White Garlic
Drop the small white garlic bits in the hot oil. Stir them with your long wood spoon. Let them cook for one short minute. You will smell a deep sweet scent. Do not let the garlic turn dark brown. Brown garlic tastes very bad and bitter. Keep it light and soft.
Add The Green Leaves
Now add the big bowl of green bits to the hot pan. It will look like a huge mountain of food. Do not fear this huge pile. It will shrink down very fast. Use your metal tongs to toss the green leaves in the hot oil. Coat every single piece with the sweet garlic fat.
Add The Wet Steam
The pan might get too dry and hot. You do not want the green leaves to burn crisp. Pour two big spoons of cold tap water in the hot pan. It will make a loud hot hiss sound. It will make a thick white hot steam. Put a lid on the pan fast. The hot wet steam helps the tough leaves get very soft. Let it steam for three short minutes.
How To Know It Is Done
Take the heavy lid off the hot pan. Look at the cooked green food. The big mountain is now a very small flat pile. The color will change from a dull green to a very bright dark green.
Take one small piece out. Blow on it to cool it down. Take a small warm bite. It should be soft to chew. But it should still have a small firm bite to it. It should not turn to sad wet mush. Add a big pinch of fine white salt now. Stir it one last time. Turn the hot stove off.
How Does It Taste?
Now comes the very best part. It is time to eat the great food. Put a big pile of the hot green leaves on a clean white plate. It looks so bright and nice.
You will taste the rich slick fat first. Then the sweet warm garlic hits your tongue. The green plant has a deep dark earth taste. It is slightly bitter but very fresh. The fine white salt balances the bitter dark notes out. It is a perfect bite of fresh food. It makes my mouth very happy. It feels so clean and right to eat.
What To Eat With It
You can eat this green dish all on its own. It is a great light lunch for a busy day. But I like to add a warm hot meat to it.
I cook a soft piece of white fish in a hot pan. I serve the hot fish right on top of the cooked green leaves. The bright sweet garlic green juice soaks right into the soft white fish. You can also serve it with a hot baked sweet potato. The sweet soft orange flesh pairs so well with the dark bitter green bite. It is a great full rich meal.
How To Save Left Food
I live alone right now. This recipe makes a lot of good food. I always have a few green bits left over. I save them for the very next day.
I let them get fully cold first. I put them in a clear glass box with a tight snap lid. I put the clear box in the cold fridge. They will keep for three whole days. The dark color stays very bright in the cold box. It does not get sad or gray.
Warm It Up Next Day
The next day, I want my green dish hot again. Do not use the fast microwave box. The microwave will turn the soft leaves to pure sad mush. It makes the sweet garlic smell very bad.
You must use a hot pan to warm it. I put a small black pan on the hot stove. I add a tiny drop of new fresh oil. I put the cold green leaves in the hot pan. I toss them fast for two short minutes. They get warm and soft all over again. They taste just as good on day two. The garlic flavors mix up even more in the cold box.
Why I Do Not Boil It
I want to tell you why I use a hot flat pan. Some folks drop this dark green plant in a deep vat of hot wet water. They boil it for a long time. I do not like to do that at all.
When you boil it, all the good green stuff leaches out. It goes right into the wet hot water. You pour all the good dark green water down the deep sink drain. The plant gets very soft and wet. It loses its great firm bite. When you cook it fast in a hot flat pan, you keep all the good parts inside the leaf. It is much better for your strong body.
Add A Fun Top Crunch
I like the plain soft garlic bite a lot. But you can change it up if you want. It is your own home kitchen. You can make it how you like it best.
You can add a hard crunch on top. Take some raw whole nuts. I like to use sweet brown almonds or rich pine nuts. Toast them in a dry hot pan until they turn a light brown. Chop them up very small. Sprinkle the hard nut dust over the hot soft green leaves. The hard loud crunch is a great fun contrast to the soft wet plant.
Fun Mix Ins To Try
You can add more fun things to the hot pan too. Once you learn how to cook kale garlic kale recipe, you can play around a lot. It is a very fun base to build on.
Try some hot red spice. You can add a pinch of hot red pepper flakes. Toss the hot red spice in with the raw white garlic. It gives the sweet green leaves a big hot spicy kick. You can also add some fine grated hard cheese at the very end. Take the hot pan off the warm stove. Dust the hot green pile with salty parmesan cheese. The soft cheese melts into the dark wet leaves. It tastes very rich and grand.
The Best Lemon Trick
I have one more top secret food trick for you. It changes the whole dish in a flash. It makes it taste like a pure chef made it.
Buy a fresh sour yellow lemon. Cut it right in half. When the green leaves are done cooking, squeeze the wet sour juice over the hot pan. Catch any hard small seeds in your bare hand. The sharp sour juice wakes up the deep dark bitter taste. It makes the heavy oil taste very light and fresh. Do not skip this bright sour step. It is the best pure food trick I know.
How To Clean The Wet Pan
I need to talk about the sad clean up phase. No one likes to wash dirty home dishes. The black iron pan can get a bit gross. The hot fat leaves a slick film on the hard metal sides. If you scrub it hard now, you will get very mad.
I have a great neat trick for this chore. I do not scrub it hard at all. I put the dirty black pan back on the hot stove. I pour one full cup of tap water right in it. I let the clear water boil hot and fast. I use a flat wood spoon to scrape the black pan base. The hot boiling water melts the burnt fat right off fast. I dump the dirty black water down the deep sink drain. I wipe the bare iron clean in one fast pass. It is so easy to do.
Why Cooking Fresh Greens Helps My Mind
Let me tell you why I cook this so much. My fast life gets very loud and stressed. I type long food words for my blog till my eyes hurt. I sit in a desk chair for long dull hours. I feel very slow and sad by the end of the day.
Cooking this simple food slows my fast brain down. I have to stand up tall in my room. I have to use my two bare hands to rip the green leaves. I have to chop the white garlic with slow care. It is a good fast therapy for me. When I see the big mountain of green turn to a sweet soft bite, I feel pure pride. I made a good healthy thing from plain raw parts. It is a quick sweet win for a tired mind. I think we all need an easy healthy win in this fast life.
Try It In Your Own Home Soon
I hope you try my fresh green treat very soon. How to cook kale garlic kale recipe is a grand thing to learn. It will make your close friends feel very glad. It will make your own stomach feel full and happy.
Next time you want a warm fresh meal, do not work too hard. Go to the fresh food shop. Buy the big dark green bunch. Buy the fresh white garlic head. Go home and make a fast fun meal in your clean kitchen.
Put on some happy soft music. Stand by your warm hot stove. Toss the bright green leaves in the sweet hot oil. Enjoy the calm quiet down time. Eat the soft hot plant with a big warm smile. Keep cooking fun simple fresh foods. Let me know how yours turns out when you make it.
