{"id":514,"date":"2013-07-15T06:30:24","date_gmt":"2013-07-15T10:30:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.michellematlack.com\/blog\/?p=514"},"modified":"2013-11-11T23:42:08","modified_gmt":"2013-11-12T04:42:08","slug":"im-obsessed-with-oven-roasted-kale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.michellematlack.com\/blog\/2013\/07\/15\/im-obsessed-with-oven-roasted-kale\/","title":{"rendered":"I’m obsessed with oven roasted kale"},"content":{"rendered":"

I am TOTALLY obsessed with oven roasted kale. I just can’t get enough of it. Part of the appeal is texture — it’s crispy and dry but at the same time it’s moist and chewy. Part of it is the salt. Part of it is the spicy-goodness. Part of it is the earthy-ness. Oddly (for me), I’m at a loss for words to describe why I love oven roasted kale so much. Can you trust me here — you HAVE to try it!<\/p>\n

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I prefer to buy loose kale leaves on the stem. I like the medium-sized ones with super curly tight leaves (no flabby kale for me). For this batch, I bought 12 such leaves. Cost less than $1. I have<\/strong> purchased the bagged variety when I needed my kale fix and the grocer was out of loose leaves. You have to REALLY pick over them, pulling out all the tough stems. It will do in a pinch but honestly, you REALLY want the loose leaves in the bulk bin.<\/p>\n

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Rinse and drain the leaves. The better they are dried — the quicker they cook. Strip the leaves off the thick stem — they should naturally tear at the leaf veins into nice-sized pieces, but if you have rather large sections you should tear them smaller. Throw them on a cookie sheet. It won’t be a single layer but don’t mound them 3″ high either.<\/p>\n

Drizzle 1 to 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil all over the leaves. Sprinkle a pinch or two of kosher salt (go easy on the salt!), fresh ground black pepper, and 1\/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes over the leaves. Throw in the oven and turn the oven to 375F. Check after about 4 or 5 minutes — the leaves should be starting to wilt and turn a bit brown at the edges. There will be ALOT of steam, so stand back when you open the oven \ud83d\ude42\u00a0 Use tongs or a spatula to flip the leaves over and around and then BACK in the oven with these babies. Continue to check every 3 or 4 minutes, moving them around a bit, until crispy and brown and very little moisture is left. You may want to turn the oven down to 350F partway through if they seem to be browning too fast.<\/p>\n

They should look like this when done:<\/p>\n

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Let them cool slightly — then dig in. I admit, I usually just eat them straight from the cookie sheet!<\/p>\n

Leftovers should probably be kept in the fridge. I like to toss them with leftover orzo, rice, or pasta the next day as a salad. Add some vinegar, olive oil, a little shredded cheese, and whatever veggies are lying about. The kale might lose some of its crispness, but none of the flavor!<\/p>\n

Variations:<\/p>\n