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Having spent the last few months on my previously unloved garden, I am now in the fortunate position where there is food to be harvested daily and I need ways of using it. So I've been getting creative with my kale recently and here is one such recipe that has come from growing my own and eating it too.
Yummy Homegrown Curly Kale
I know many would disagree with me, but Kale is one of my favourite vegetables. I love the slightly bitter taste and the satisfying crunch. It's packed full of vitamins and it's much more versatile than people think. And good thing too, otherwise I'd be throwing away a lot of kale right now. I've only got two plants in my container garden, but they are tall and broad and heavy with curly leaves that need using! That is unless the caterpillars have their way - I haven't protected my brassicas at all and have been dealing with the cabbage white butterflies (their eggs and their caterpillars) the old fashioned way - picking them off by hand. It's my first year of growing any vegetables at all, and with only two brassica plants in the whole garden, I haven't gone all in with the defensive measures.
But try as the caterpillars might, I still have plenty of kale to get through and there's only so many times you can steam it for a sad side dish. Time to get imaginative with my back garden kale!
Kale, Spring Onions, Lemon Balm, Mint - Picked from my Rhino GrowBed in my container garden
A few weeks ago, I had a hankering for something Moroccan/Mediterranean. I already had couscous in the cupboard, so I went for a plunder in the garden to see what other homegrown produce I could use to satisfy my craving. So what's growing in my tiny garden right now that could make for a good combo? Answer: Kale, Spring Onions, Mint and Lemon Balm. And here's what my brain ended up with, in my search for Kale Glory...
SERVES 3-4
INGREDIENTS
1/2 mug Couscous
1 mug Boiling Water
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
Olive Oil
400g Lamb Mince
100g Mini Button Mushrooms - quartered
Olive Oil
3tsp Harissa Spice Mix
1/2 tsp Coriander Leaf
1/2 tsp Oregano
3-4 Spring Onions - roughly chopped
Handful of Lemon Balm & Mint - chopped
1 Pomegranate
3-4 Large Handfuls Kale - finely chopped
Tzatziki to serve
Tzatziki:
4tbsp Greek Yoghurt
1/4 Cucumber - grated, squeezed
2 Cloves Garlic - crushed
Salt + Pepper
Lemon Juice or White Wine Vinegar
METHOD
PREPARE THE COUSCOUS
Bring water to the boil, then add the couscous, lemon juice and a dash of olive oil. Stir gently to combine. Then remove from the heat, cover with a plate and leave for 20 mins.
MAIN RECIPE
Fry the mince in olive oil and spices. Add in the mushrooms when the meat is no longer pink.
Turn up the heat and add in your Kale (don't be afraid of adding more, it shrinks down a lot), cook at high heat for 1-2 mins. Add more oil if needed and keep stirring.
Turn down heat to low and stir in the couscous, which should hopefully now be ready.
SERVING
Serve portions onto plates/bowls, then sprinkle generously with spring onion, lemon balm, mint and pomegranate.
Serve with tzatziki on the side. To make, simple combine ingredients and add, salt, pepper and lemon juice or vinegar to taste.
