Kale is the “hot” vegetable of the year and like spinach – you either love it or hate it. There are tons of kale recipes on Pinterest, blogs, in magazines and on dinner tables everywhere; and it’s showing up more and more on restaurant menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I love it, and have been experimenting with recipes at home and I love trying kale dishes at restaurants and cafes -there are so many creative uses for kale making it a tasty, fun vegetable to explore.
For this recipe I am focusing on a kale side dish that is pan sautéed and takes a few minutes to cook. Pan sautéed Kale with Pancetta, Garlic, Lemon and Slivered Almonds (sometimes called almonds sticks). I like using shredded curly kale, it has a mild sweet flavor and holds up well to sautéing. For the pancetta I used Applegate Naturals which comes pre-sliced in very thin rounds, although you can use any cut of pancetta and dice into small cubes if you prefer.
There are many different kinds of Kale but best of all, and I am sure the reason kale is this year’s hot vegetable – it is packed with nutrition (very high in beta carotene, vitamin C, vitamin K, and rich in calcium) and kale has cancer fighting properties. Gotta love that!
Sautéed Garlic Kale With Crispy Pancetta and Almonds
Ingredients:
- 2 oz uncured Pancetta, thinly sliced rounds, cut in half and loosen slices if they are sticking together (they will separate when cooking)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon of fresh or dried shallots, finely chopped
- 1 large bunch of roughly chopped curly Kale, tough stems and center ribs cut off and discarded
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 large or two medium cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/4 lemon, freshly squeezed juice
- 1/4 cup slivered almonds
Directions:
- In a small skillet, cook pancetta under low heat until slightly crispy. Drain on paper towel and set aside.
- Thoroughly clean kale rinsing under cold water. Spin dry and dab with paper towels to remove as much water as possible.
- In a large skillet, over medium heat add olive oil, red paper flakes and shallots – stir to mix flavors together. When the oil is hot, add the kale, salt and pepper to taste. NOTE: Go light on the salt as the pancetta is salty and in many cases you can skip the salt altogether.
- The pan will be quite full of kale, carefully turn with tongs, sautéing for a minute. Add lemon juice and garlic and sauté for another 1-2 minutes until kale is wilted and bright green.
- Push the kale to the sides of the pan creating a small empty space in the center. Add the slivered almonds and sauté until lightly toasted.
- Using the tongs, mix all ingredients together and slide onto your serving platter or individual dishes.
- Top with slices of crispy pancetta and serve right away.
