Kale Purée Recipes

KALE PURéE

Steps:

• Place garlic in a large pot of water and bring to a boil; generously season with kosher salt. Add kale and cook until very tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain kale and garlic. When cool enough to handle, squeeze as much water from kale as possible.
• Transfer kale and garlic to a food processor with 1 teaspoon flaky salt; pulse into a paste. With motor running, slowly add oil. Add reserved water, a little at a time, until purée is thinned to desired consistency. Serve warm or room temperature.

KALE-SAUCE PASTA

Steps:

• Put a large pot of generously salted water over high heat, and bring to a boil. In a small skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and garlic, and cook until the garlic begins to sizzle. Reduce heat to low, and cook very gently until garlic is soft and begins to turn light gold, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
• When water is boiling, add kale leaves, and cook until tender, but not mushy, about 5 minutes. Pull out the hot, dripping kale leaves with tongs, and put directly into a blender. (Don't drain the pot; you'll use that same boiling water to cook the pasta.) Add garlic and its oil to the blender, along with a splash of hot water from the pot if you need some more liquid to get the blender going. Blend into a fine, thick green purée. Taste, and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, then blend again.
• Add the pasta to the still-boiling water, and cook according to directions on the package. Ladle out about a cup of the water to save for finishing the dish, then drain the pasta and return it to the dry pot. Add the kale purée, about 3/4 of the grated cheese and a splash of the reserved pasta water. Toss until all the pasta is well coated and bright green, adding another splash of pasta water if needed so that the sauce is loose and almost creamy in texture. Serve in bowls right away, and top with an extra drizzle of olive oil and the rest of the grated cheese.

KALE RUTABAGA PUREE

Steps:

• Peel the rutabaga, and cut it into 1-inch chunks. Place in a medium saucepan with enough water to cover, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to a simmer, and cook until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain, and set aside.
• Cut the stems off the kale, and discard. Roughly chop the kale, and wash in a large colander. Coat a large saute pan with olive-oil cooking spray, and place over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic, and saute until translucent. Add kale in batches, allowing each to wilt before adding more. Cook until all the kale is wilted, add salt and pepper, and transfer to the bowl of a food processor. Puree mixture until the kale is smooth; add reserved rutabaga. With machine running, add milk gradually; stop when mixture is smooth, and serve.

KALE AND POTATO PURéE

Steps:

• Cook the kale in a pot of boiling salted water (1 1/2 tablespoons salt for 4 quarts water), uncovered, until tender, about 7 minutes. Drain, then immediately transfer the kale to an ice bath to stop the cooking. When kale is cool, drain but do not squeeze.
• While kale cooks, peel the potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Simmer in the cream, salt, and pepper in a heavy medium saucepan, covered, stirring occasionally, until tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Purée the potato mixture with the kale in 2 batches in a food processor until just smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). Transfer to a 4- to 5-quart heavy saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until heated through. Season with salt and pepper.
• DO AHEAD
• The PURÉE can be made 1 day ahead and chilled. Reheat over low heat, stirring frequently.