Tips, Tricks & Recipes
Chef Bruce Kalman’s Cauliflower Leaf Salad
Cauliflower Leaf Salad
by Chef Bruce Kalman, Union Restaurant Pasadena, Knead Pasta Co. Grand Central Market .
(This recipe was inspired by the cauliflower leaves we harvested for him from his HGEL-managed restaurant garden at the Pasadena Community Garden)
4 large cauliflower leaves (stem removed)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 Meyer lemon
1 tablespoon Pecorino Romano cheese (fine grate)
1 tablespoon toasted breadcrumbs
2 grinds black pepper
Salt to taste
Wash & dry cauliflower leaves. Stack leaves together and roll into a tube. Slice into thin ribbons. Place in mixing bowl. Add olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and Pecorino. Lightly toss by hand to incorporate. Top with a light dusting of Pecorino and toasted bread crumbs.
Toasted breadcrumbs:1 cup coarse ground bread crumbs 1 tablespoon olive oil1/2 tablespoon chopped parsley
Add all ingredients to sauté pan. Mix to coat crumbs with oil. Toast on medium-low heat until golden brown.
Kale Chips
Hale Kale! Yes, you've long known it as a Super Food but we can't help but to continue to sing its praises. These beautiful plants have found their way from the pages of regional home-style cookbooks onto the menus of culinary star restaurants everywhere. They even made the cover of Bon Appetit magazine one year! There are endless ways to use these beautiful greens so include them on your menus whenever you can. Here's a great way to get your kids to eat kale and enjoy it too...Kale chips! Click HERE to watch the video.
Why Broccoli Leaves?
Six Brilliant Ways to Cook with Broccoli Leaves
Chefs and farmers have been eating broccoli leaves for years-and for good reason. "One serving supplies your daily dose of vitamin C, plenty of antioxidants like vitamins A and K, and the same amount of calcium as a glass of milk," says Ashley Koff, RD, a nutritionist in Washington, DC. This green is affordable at about $1 a bunch. Seek it out at the farmers' market, or look for BroccoLeaf, an organic version, at the supermarket. Broccoli leaves are versatile and yummy, with a milder flavor than the florets. The leaves taste great in a smoothie; roasted with oil, salt and pepper to make chips; or tossed in a salad. Click HERE for the recipes.
The Tender Young Leaves of the Fava Bean
The Herbaceous Hero of the Fava aka Broad Bean aka Butter Bean
While we wait for the delish fava beans coming in spring, we can use the tender young leaves of the plant. Absolutely delicious, herbaceous and earthy tasting, these leaves add an unexpected depth of flavor wilted into soups and pasta...even fresh (with their flowers) in salads and on toasted flat bread with crumbled feta as Chef Kalman did here.