The Melting Teapot

At some point this year, I fell head over heels in love with kale. Yes, that’s right, kale – the mysterious ruffled leaf that sits next to swiss chard and other greens in the produce department.

Until moving to Washington state, I was most familiar with the ornamental kales that provide bright purple colors in flower beds. Here in Washington, however, many types of kale are readily available at farmer's markets and in most grocery stores. This year, I’ve finally begun to experiment with kale.  I chop it to use in soups, sauté the greens as a side dish, and slice chiffonades to add to rice or potatoes.  Most of all, though, I make this wonderful salad:

Massaged Kale & Apple Salad with Gorgonzola

The recipe is very simple, just kale with chopped apples, raisins, and nuts, tossed in a basic vinagrette.  What is unusual about it is the technique for preparing the kale, which involves sprinkling it with sea salt and then massaging it to break down the heavy leaves.  Check out the recipe, and watch the accompanying video to see the technique (as well as other tips).

Cookus Interuptus is a fun blog and video series by Cynthia Lair, cookbook author and faculty member at Bastyr University.   When I first watched the video, it intrigued me, so I grabbed some kale and gave it a try.  I am so happy to have finally found this wonderful vegetable.  Kale is earthy, hearty, stands up to extended cooking times, stays fresh in the frig much longer than other greens, and it is as beautiful to look at as it is to eat.  Best of all, it’s actually one of the healthiest foods out there!

What's for Dinner?

Jeff was out with a buddy tonight, so I made a big bowl of salad just for me.  I rarely use the gorgonzola because it doesn’t seem necessary, and I used pecans instead of sunflower seeds, but otherwise the recipe is the same as the original.

I decided to experiment a bit to see what sort of wine was the best match against the kale and other ingredients.  I pulled a white and a red, then gave it all a taste.

The white wine, an Argentinian torrontes, made the salad taste even saltier than usual, plus the salad seemed to overwhelm and mute the wine a bit.  I think if the gorgonzola had been in this salad, the creaminess of the cheese would have altered the pairing and made the torrontes the wine of choice.  However, without the blue cheese, this just wasn't the right pairing.

On the other hand, the Washington state merlot became more complex and vegetal against the salad. The acidity of the wine paired up nicely with the acidity of the vinegar.  The salad became darker against this wine, with the flavors of the kale taking front seat to the apples and cider vinegar.  It did pop out a note of vanilla in the merlot that wasn’t really what I wanted, but overall the red wine performed much better than the white.

That makes yet another vegetarian food that works well with red wine!

My Tasting Notes:

• 2009 La Yunta Torrontés - Argentina, La Rioja, Famatina Valley (3/2/2010)
  The color is very light in the glass, like water with just a hint of yellow-green. On the nose is a heady mix of orange blossoms, canteloupe, and something that reminds me of a warm sandy beach. When sipped, this La Yunta is drier than I remember from previous vintages, with a zesty play of acid on the sides of my mouth. Lemon is in there, as well as an interesting note of cucumber, but a nice minerality broadens the flavor out. The finish goes on for quite a while, with floral elements mixing into the minerality.
  

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• 2001 Reininger Merlot - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley (3/2/2010)
  Really beautiful, and not over-the-hill at all. The use of oak is judicious, with just a subtle hint of vanilla hovering around the background. The dark fruit is still at the forefront of the wine, but it is tempered by an herby complexity that is quite nice. The wine is fragrant, with an interesting wildflower and sage bouquet. There is an extended finish, with salt, red pepper, and blackberries.
  

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