Stephencooks

I always try to maximize the visual appeal of food when I serve it, but this is one case where the cook gets about 90% of the visual enjoyment. Dinosaur kale -- also known as Lacinato Kale or Italian Heirloom (cavalo nero, i.e. black cabbage) -- is absolutely striking as it lies on the board waiting for prep, with its sculpted deep blue-green pebbly surface -- but once cooked would be hard for even the most experienced greens experts to identify by sight. It seems somehow wrong to cook these elegant, primitive-looking fronds and lose their spectacular appearance, though the taste and texture is definitely worth it. I know that next time I use this interesting variety I'm going to buy an extra bunch to use in my centerpiece for the table. It's also tender enough (when separated from the stalks) to be eaten raw in a salad, if you just can't bear cooking it.

Kale is a relative of broccoli and collards and brings with it all the health and nutrition benefits of its cousins (vitamin K, folic acid and beta carotene and other important carotenoids) but even though I'm a committed broccoli guy, kale's never been my favorite of the family. Even with a long cooking, the more familiar varieties of kale always seems to have some fibers that just don't want to yield, and its bitterness is sometimes too aggressive. The Dinosaur variety (apparently so-named due to its resemblance to the supersized pebbly skin we imagine dinosaurs to have had), on the other hand, cooks quickly to a pleasant tenderness, and with a milder version of kale's characteristic bitterness and a sweeter, nuttier taste. It's also easier to prepare, as the leaves are easily and quickly torn from the stalks  -- unlike the tedious stalk-by-stalk process of preparing the more familiar varieties by running a knife along the edge of the stalk.

Dinosaur kale is frequently paired with white beans and chicken broth in both Italian and Portugese cuisines to make a satisfying soup -- sometimes including sausage, especially in the Portugese version. I combined it with leeks and peppers (and garlic, which is almost always around when the Dinosaur is in the house) and used it very successfully as a side to a traditional Italian preparation of pork (braised in milk, subject of a future post) for a casual Sunday supper.