Oh, KALE Yeah!

I went to my favorite Whole Foods today to pick up some salmon.

Somehow I ended up with way more than salmon in my cart, but that’s not really a surprise. I tend to get carried away in that store. Not irresponsibly. I won’t pay $6 for a container of strawberries or $8 for a bar of soap, but not everything at Whole Foods is a fortune. They actually have some great sales AND they take coupons, so I do pretty well there.

My one splurge today was a bunch of Dinosaur Kale. It goes by other names as well, like Lacinato Kale or Tuscan Kale. It is bigger and flatter than the typical Curly Kale. It also is supposed to have a more delicate flavor.

There is a recipe in Auntie’s newest cookbook, Make it Ahead, for Parmesan Kale Chips that calls for Dinosaur Kale. 

This will bring us to cookbook #11 of 98.

Let’s give it a go, shall we?

Here’s the kale before I hacked it up:

And here it is when it is all laid out on parchment paper. 

And here’s the finished product:

I can’t say enough good things about this recipe.

All three of us scarfed down the entire batch. It is far superior to the typical kale that I’ve been eating. 

Consider us hooked. Auntie does it again!

Parmesan Kale Chips
Serves 6 

Kale is a delicious vegetable that seems to be everywhere now. If you can find flat kale—sometimes labeled cavalo nero, Dinosaur kale, or lacinato—it can be roasted for the perfect light bite to serve with drinks. It’s simply kale, olive oil, and salt, and it roasts in 15 minutes. Of course, freshly grated Parmesan cheese makes everything taste better. 

1 large bunch flat-leaf kale
Good olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.

With a sharp knife, remove and discard the hard rib from the center of each leaf, leaving the leaves as intact as possible. Place them on the sheet pans, drizzle or brush them with olive oil, and toss to coat lightly. Sprinkle generously with salt and bake for 10 minutes, until crispy. Sprinkle lightly with Parmesan cheese and bake for another 5 minutes. Cool and serve. 

MAKE IT AHEAD: Prepare and cool to room temperature. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Reprinted from Make it Ahead. Copyright © 2014 by Ina Garten. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC.