SAVOUR & SIP
ELISHA EATS
A NEW LEAF Turn over New year, new you? Elisha Young (aka @elisha.eats on Instagram) is here to help you take your healthy New Year’s resolutions one step at a time
I ’ll just come out and say it, then: no one actually likes kale. It’s got that annoyingly healthy aura, it’s always popping up in fancy salad bowls, and people try to tell you that kale roasted in olive oil with a bit of salt and pepper tastes ‘just like crisps’. Well, you’ve just spent all of Christmas and New Year’s consuming your body weight in Pringles, so you know that’s not true. Who wants to eat kale when you could selflessly finish off the last of the mince pies instead? And anyway, what do you even cook with it? I’m not really one for making big New Year’s resolutions, so I can hardly convince you that cold, dark, depressing January is a good time to switch to an all-kale diet. That being said, it is absolutely packed with vitamin K, along with iron and phytochemicals, so it’s not going to hurt you either. But, I am a big believer in making small, manageable changes – and adding one new vegetable to your diet during Veganuary is probably just about achievable for all of us. Why kale? Well, it’s packed with vitamins and minerals, so at least you can give your immune system a boost while desperately warding off the various ailments floating around. Plus, it’s a vegetable that often tastes better after a heavy frost, so any bad weather will improve its taste. But mostly, I want to redeem kale because it’s just so versatile. Once you’ve cut away the woody stems, the leaves are robust enough that they hold up beautifully in any soup, stew or casserole you throw them in. You can enjoy it boiled (please salt your water though), steamed, roasted, braised, stir-fried or even raw – although I probably wouldn’t recommend that. And while kale that’s been roasted with oil, salt and pepper is never going to taste exactly like your favourite variety of deep-fried potato, it is surprisingly delicious when you’re in the mood for something crispy and salty. Especially because the leaves make a good vehicle for punchy flavours like garlic, chilli or even more exotic ingredients like seaweed.
KALE JOY Don’t let what you’ve read online ruin kale for you. With the right recipe, it can be an equally nutritious and delicious treat
© ELISHA YOUNG
your vegetable of choice. Trust me, your tastebuds will thank you. Take your kale leaves, with hard stem removed, and roughly chop them. Heat some neutral oil in a pan and fry minced garlic until fragrant and sizzling. Toss the kale leaves into the oil, then add around 100ml of water and stir-fry until wilted and cooked through. Finish the kale with a good drizzle of either soy sauce or oyster sauce (mixed with a little sugar if the flavours need balancing), then garnish with chilli flakes or chilli oil if you like a bit of heat. Enjoy this delicious bowl of vegetables as a side dish while feeling incredibly virtuous about your healthy new habits. January resolution: sorted.
It’s easily found in your nearest supermarket or greengrocer and can be identified by its large, dark green leaves – often with frilly or curly edges. For meal inspiration, you can find plenty overseas. Kale is included in the warming Italian stew ribollita, the northern German comfort meal of kale with sausage and bacon, the Portuguese potato soup caldo verde and even Irish colcannon. How will I be enjoying it? Cooked using the same method which convinced my boyfriend that broccoli can be tasty and flavourful, rather than a vile lump of overboiled, grey mush. This method also works on pretty much any leafy green or brassica, so feel free to apply it to
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