Sautéed Kale

Miz Helen over at Miz Helen's Country Cottage visited me earlier in the week and invited me to bring a dish and come over for her Full Plate Thursday party.  After much thought and consideration, I'm going to bring a "new to me dish"...Sautéed Kale.   Since I'm trying to eat healthier these days, this is one of the good choices that I've recently made in life.
  

Now if I were back down south where Miz Helen resides, this might be Sautéed Turnip Greens.....or Sautéed Collards, but since I'm in New England now, kale is the "greens" of choice.  I first had this wonderful vegetable on Thanksgiving when my father-in-law served this to us for the first time.  Even my step-son who eats nothing cooked that is green tried this and loved it.  That's how wonderful this vegetable is.  Now, I've had kale in soup before but never sautéed like spinach.  After I had it for the first time, I knew it would be just a matter of time before I prepared this for my own dinner table.

This is the recipe that I used...

1 bunch Kale (or other leafy greens)

2 slices Bacon

3 or 4 Chestnuts (optional)

3 or 4 Mushrooms (optional)

Salt, to taste

1 tbsp. Butter

1/8 cup sweet Marsala or Sherry

Pepper, to taste

Wash the kale, remove the center stems and chop.  Do not dry the Kale.  Cut the bacon cross-wise into narrow strips.  If you do not wish to use the bacon, use a tablespoon or so of safflower or other neutral oil.  Cook the bacon in a large pot to render the fat but do not crisp it. 

Chop the chestnuts and slice the mushrooms and cook with the bacon. 

(I didn't have any mushrooms or chestnuts so I didn't use them.  They were included in the the dish on Thanksgiving and they were wonderful so if you have them, by all means go ahead and add them.)

Add the chopped kale and sauté until tender. 

The kale will wilt and turn bright green.  You can add a little water, if necessary. 

 Add the butter...

and the Marsala.....

 and cook until the wine forms a light syrup.  Salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.

Why don't you bring your best dish and join us? You will be glad you did.

 Have a great Thursday!