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So, before I became The Kitchenette (I say it like I stepped in the closet Bruce-Wayne style and emerged a Superhero), I was kind of a picky eater. I think my mother would agree that my brother and I were both extremely picky, actually. I didn’t like a lot of foods… especially vegetables. I was pretty much a potato-and-carrots-only vegetable eater.

But once I started cooking regularly, I really just wanted to try new things. At first my curiosity leaned towards trying new ways to cook the things I liked already; I tried various meatball recipes before finding one that has now become my staple. Then I began cooking things at home that I could buy or get only at restaurants; I tried making falafel at home (a big failure – it’s still on the list of “Recipes to Master”). Lately, I’ve really been inspired to try new foods entirely. In the past year, I’ve found that I was secretly harboring a love for sweetbreads (neither sweet nor bread), veal cheeks, and oysters. Who knew?

I’ve also been reevaluating those vegetables that I turned my nose up at before. Kohlrabi, broccoli, and yes… even asparagus. (There’s no hope for asparagus. It’s disgusting and you know it.) Before, I would never have dreamed of eating kale… in fact, I didn’t even really know that kale existed until a few years ago. It’s not a very yummy-looking vegetable, either. If you really think about it, it basically looks like a wrinkly leaf off of a tree. Ew. But instead of going straight for the time-honored-but-never-really-yummy dish of overcooked garden greens with added flavor from bacon/ham/unidentified-pork-product, I chose instead to try kale in a variety of ways. I tried it in soup, I tried it flash-cooked, in pasta dishes. But out of all the ways I’ve tried eating kale, this is my favorite.

This is the epitome of the food I like to cook – simple, cheap, local food that is dripping with flavor.

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Kale with Lemon and Parm

Adapted from The Kitchn

Serves 4

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 Ingredients:
2 large bunches kale, washed and trimmed of stems/stalks
6 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
4 tbsp lemon juice
4 tbsp olive oil
kosher salt
fresh cracked pepper
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Directions:
Roll the kale leaves together and cut each roll into small strips. Transfer kale to a large bowl.

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This is me chopping up kale. Notice the stems of the kale in the sink. Also notice my hot pink dishwashing gloves in the background. Sexy!

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Mix the olive oil and lemon juice together, and whisk vigorously to combine and form an emulsion. Drizzle dressing over kale and toss to coat. Let kale sit at room temperature for at least one hour, until the kale has wilted slightly. Toss with cheese and serve.

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Now Playing in the Kitchenette: Dirty Pretty Things / You Fucking Love It – it’s just a punk kind of day! DAMN THE MAN

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