cKale: Obsession

Re: a friend’s recent commentary on my eating habits, liking Kale does not make me “from California.” Being OBSESSED with Kale makes me from California (and believe you me, I am obsessed). And, yes, I am grammatically overstating my Kale by insisting on Capitalizing it in every part of this entry.



Kale and Tomato Bird's Nest

1 tbs olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
8-10 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 bunch of Kale, torn from stem and roughly chopped
1 egg

To make: Heat olive oil in a large skillet on med-high heat. Drop in cherry tomatoes and garlic. Let cook for 3-5 minutes, until tomatoes start to stew. Turn heat up and stir in Kale, turning to coat and then covering. Let cook for about three minutes, until the Kale turns brighter green in color and begins to wilt. Turn heat down (medium is good), and spoon a hole into the center of the Kale/tomato mixture. Crack and drop the egg into the depression, covering the pan again to ensure that the egg will cook all the way through. Let cook until egg reaches desired consistency. Remove mix from eat and serve over toast/brown rice/sweet potatoes/pasta/whatever strikes your fancy.

Summertime Soul, Volume 1

I don't know what I am going to do when summer is over. Frequent, easy, and rewarding access to my neighborhood Greenmarket has completely spoiled me. No longer do I discuss foods in combination with each other("meals" if you will), but rather as entirely independent beings with no need nor desire to maneuver around one another within a single dish.

Whole, fresh heirloom tomatoes straight from the vine. Hunks of unblemished, ripe, yellow mango. Avocado scraped directly from the shell. Peaches, apples, and plums. Eggplants! Does this all sound familiar? It should! If not creative, it is certainly satisfying.

In an effort to recapture the spirit of cooking ambitions past, I recently took all of these things fresh from the Farmer's Market, slapped them together between two pieces of bread, and called it a 'sandwich'. I know that it's borderline ridiculous to post this as a "recipe", but the gooey, toothy mess of delicious that it produced was too good not to share. So, without further ado, let me infringe on your conscious with the Eggplant-Avocado Sandwich.



Eggplant-Avocado Sandwich

You Will Need:
1/2 avocado
Hummus
Eggplant
Tomato
Mustard
1 tbs. olive oil
Salt+Pepper to taste

(That's IT!)

To Make:

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Slice the eggplant, brush it with olive oil, and arrange it in a baking dish. Pop it in the oven. Smear your bread with hearty portions of hummus and mustard. Add wedges of avocado and tomato to that, contributing a dash of salt and pepper just for fun. After the eggplant has been baked soft, remove it from the oven and let it cool for a second. Then layer it on top of the avocado and tomato, and smash everything together immediately. With any luck, the eggplant will still be warm when you start to eat.





(If applicable, lay in sunny park during consumption.)

Spoiled rotten, I tells ya!