Sauteed Lemon Garlic Kale
Because the weather is getting warmer, my husband pulled up and picked four Red Russian Kale plants that had overwintered in the cold frame. Since he had taken the cold frame off, the plants had gotten huge and were starting to bolt. I shook my head at him and told him to pull the old plants out to make room for the new plants. I asked him to pick the leaves off of them. He happily sat on the front porch and stripped the leaves off of the plants. We ended up with a little over a 1 pound bag. I decided to make Sauteed Lemon Garlic Kale.
So, I racked my brain for what to do with that much kale. I have several soup recipes that use kale, but it is May. It would have to be a side dish. I had pre marinated chicken in the freezer that I could have my husband grill so that left me free to concentrate on a side dish. I had a lemon and lots of garlic and both go well with kale. So, Sauteed Lemon Garlic Kale made sense.
Kale, like most other greens, cooks down A LOT. I didn’t want to use the largest pot I had because the bottom is a bit thin, and I didn’t want the garlic slices to burn. I chose my largest copper bottom pot. The pot wasn’t quite big enough for all the raw kale so I added the kale, and I put the lid on for a minute. Next, I waited for the kale to wilt, and I added more. I did this twice and continued with my recipe. The kale and the Naples marinated chicken. both made me very happy. There was even a small amount left that I had for breakfast.
Sauteed Lemon Garlic Kale
Equipment
- 8 qt. or larger pot
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Olive Oil
- 5 Garlic Cloves sliced thinly
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
- A pinch – 1/4 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes to taste (optional)
- 1 lb. Kale lightly chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
Instructions
- Heat olive oil on medium low until hot and add the sliced garlic cloves. Cook the garlic, stirring often until just starting to very lightly brown at the edges.
- Add kale, lemon juice, and crushed red pepper. Stir. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add kosher salt and stir. Cover and cook for 3-5 more minutes until completely wilted.
