Hash Browns and fresh from the Garden Kale

 My cooking tonight included a medley of food from the fridge.  I'd usually rather go to the store and pick out a fresh feast to cook than go through my fridge, freezer and cupboards.  Hmmm, market in Paris anyone?  Despite this preference, many of my favorite meals come from my very own house and garden.  Here are a few that I made tonight, including the kale recipe I adapted from a lovely meal my sister cooked a while back with fresh from the garden kale, a hot pan and olive oil.

Hash Browns
2-4 medium sized potatoes
1-2 eggs, just enough to make the hash browns stick together when cooking.
butter to cook with
salt and pepper
ketchup

Grate the potatoes and salt them, mixing in the salt as evenly as possible.  Use only as much salt as you would like to taste in the finished hash browns.  Too much salt?  Been there, done that.   The salt will pull out the excess moisture in the potatoes and make for tastier hash browns.  Let the raw potatoes and salt sit for 5 minutes.  Preheat a cast iron pan on medium to high heat for a few minutes.  After the allotted time, squeeze out the extra water with your hands.  Mix in the egg(s) with the grated potatoes.  Add a dollop of butter to the preheated pan and add potato-egg mix, forming them into patties.  I make them about the size of a small pancake.  Pepper if desired.  Cover and cook until the hash browns are nicely browned, but not burnt.  Turn and repeat.  Serve with ketchup.

Quick Fried Kale in Olive Oil
what you'll need:
as much kale as you desire, chopped small, especially the stem pieces
olive oil
optional: pinenuts and feta

Preheat a cast iron pan on medium-high heat, hot enough to sizzle, but cool enough to not burn the olive oil.  Good luck on that one =)

When pan is heated, add a splash of olive oil, enough to coat the pan, and chopped kale.  Cover and let sizzle for a minute.  Then stir frequently until some pieces are brown tipped, but mostly green.  The stems should be soft without being soggy.  The key to the specific taste and texture I am going for is the higher heat, but not so high as to burn the kale.  Brown, not burn.  Crisp not charred.  Cooking the kale at this higher temperature and stirring often makes it tender with crunchy, crisp and flavorful tips.  You can add pine nuts and a little bit of feta to dress it up.

Sunday Morning Egg & Kale Scramble

Easy, easy, easy!

You need: eggs, tender kale, and optional feta and pine nuts

For a family of four mix 6 eggs thoroughly. Dice fresh, young kale greens, put to the side. Heat a pan on medium with olive oil . Add kale and scrambled eggs at the same time, cover and turn heat down a notch or two. Give them a couple minutes and then stir frequenly to prevent the eggs from hardening too quickly. You want soft moist eggs and the kale should also be soft.

The eggs are great with a pinch of feta and some pine nuts. Both are completely optional. Enjoy with a cup of nettle-green tea (see recipes).

Sweet Artichoke Chicken Soup

For a sweetness that lingers in your mouth, try this recipe. It is nourishing and delicious!

4small artichokes
4 quarts of chicken stock (make by boiling 1-2 leftover whole chickens for 3-6 hours on low, strain out bones
2 cups soaked lentils
1 onion diced
2 small zucchinis, sliced small
4 carrots cut small
4 stalks celery cut small
4 or more cloves garlic (press through a garlic press of dice small)
several handfuls of diced kale
salt to taste
Add artichokes and lentils to lightly boiling chicken soup stock. In 10 minutes add carrots, celery, onion. When the artichokes are soft enough to easily stick a fork through the base, take them out and serve on the side. When carrots are softened add zucchinis and garlic. In five minutes add diced kale and salt to taste.
Artichokes are excellent with this dipping sauce:
1/4 cup vegetable oil mayonaise
2-3 tablespoons soy sauce, tamari or braggs liquid aminos

Serve soup with with polenta, feta, and a green salad.