Kale, a dark green, leafy vegetable from the cabbage family has numerous nutritional benefits. In fact, kale is one of the most nutritious vegetables. It contains vitamin C, B6, carotenes, manganese, iron, dietary fiber, calcium, minerals and many other nutrients. This is another vegetable that is an excellent protector against cancer.In Turkey, kale is mainly popular in the Black Sea region in Northern Turkey. In Northern Turkey, kale and collard greens are used for soups, sautés and for other types of dishes. I was not very familiar with kale as it was not cooked in the region I lived. I love taking advantage of this nutritious vegetable when I see it in supermarkets or the local farmer’s market. I found this particular kale at the local farmer’s market.
1 bunch kale
½ onion (chopped)
½ cup pumpkin seeds
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sesame seeds
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
½ tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp salt (adjust to your taste)
Heat olive oil in a large pan. Add the onions and sauté for 2 minutes. Add pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, oregano and black pepper. Saute all the ingredients for about 3-4 minutes.
In the mean time, wash the kale and with your hands remove the leaves from the stalks. Discard the kale stalks. Give the kale leaves a coarse chop or just tear with your hands. Add to the pan. Cover the pan and as soon as the kale starts to lose its volume, mix it together with the rest of the ingredients. Add salt to your liking. Cook covered for 5-8 minutes. Enjoy warm with rice pilaf.
½ onion (chopped)
½ cup pumpkin seeds
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sesame seeds
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
½ tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp salt (adjust to your taste)
Heat olive oil in a large pan. Add the onions and sauté for 2 minutes. Add pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, oregano and black pepper. Saute all the ingredients for about 3-4 minutes.
In the mean time, wash the kale and with your hands remove the leaves from the stalks. Discard the kale stalks. Give the kale leaves a coarse chop or just tear with your hands. Add to the pan. Cover the pan and as soon as the kale starts to lose its volume, mix it together with the rest of the ingredients. Add salt to your liking. Cook covered for 5-8 minutes. Enjoy warm with rice pilaf.
Nihal,
ReplyDeleteBen de degisik sebzeler denemegi seviyorum tadi cok cok tuhaf olmadikca:) Bu sebzeyi hep goruyordum ama acikcasi alip yemek yapmak nedense hic aklima gelmedi. Artik bu tarif ustune denerim rahatlikla.
Iffet
I am seeing kale Everywhere!!! I think this is a lovely & unique recipe with pumpkins seeds & sesame
ReplyDeleteI do love kale and very much like your idea of using pumpking seeds in this. Lately I've read about people who eat the kale stems, either separately or added to the greens. I keep meaning to try them, but still have been eating just the green parts.
ReplyDeleteThis is lovely! I like kale,it reminds me of Spinach a bit,I didnt know it was so nutritious!We call it here 'mangold',and I like to do dolmas with it replacing the Grape leaves,though I cant quite remember where I got that idea from.. :) This is truly another lovely recipe of yours!looks delicious,I must try it,thank you and thanx for the nutritional info!
ReplyDeleteoptum ablacim! :)) Mia
Indeed looks very healthy with seeds and use of olive oil:)
ReplyDeleteI love kale and its benefits...urs sound delish.
ReplyDeletein crete, we are very blessed with a wide range of good leafy greens, which we collectively call 'horta'
ReplyDeleteconcerning the berries in my lates post: i never expected to generate so much discussion.
ReplyDeletei've seen the stems being sold on occassion here in hania, but no one seems to show any interest in these berries except perhaps non-locals. my husband is in charge of the garden, and i cant say we share the same plant tastes, which is the main reason why i havent tried growing them here. he's very much a mediterranean gardener.
on a funnier note, when I once pointed them out in a plant nursery, he said he doesnt need any mroe 'vatous' growing in his soil than already do grow. wild blackberry vines (vatous) grow in the village, strangling unattended orange and olive trees, hencde his revulsion with any thorny vine. the berries are not as big or delicious as the fat blackberries and raspberries that i remember eating in other countries, and i am the only greek that i know who picks them
Maria, many locals in my town thought exactly like your husband about the blackberry vines and they'd get rid of them if it were in their garden!
ReplyDeleteThis looks delicious. We love the green leafy veggies. I love the spices & flavors of Turkish food. Lovely blog!
ReplyDeleteNihal!
ReplyDeleteAfter what youve mentioned,I realised that I dont recall any 'curls'...so I looked into it on wikipedia and it seems I have mistaken Kale for Collard greens,although similar-I dont think I can remember what Kale is like..hmmmm...ooops...:) optum.
Thank you, as always, for visiting. I think Pastitsio is popular now because there is a Taste of the Mediterranean round-up event for Pastitsio.
ReplyDeleteYour kale looks healthy and wonderful!
I'm not so sure whether I've tried kale before but it sounds yummy :)
ReplyDeleteok,so I looked it up some more..and found out that 'Mangold 'is actually the German name of 'Swiss Chard' which is also abundantly found in the Mediteranean..so I guess that thats what I was referring to..not that it clarifies too much :) about collard greens and kale except that they may belong to the same family..which might explain the mix up..sorry about that.. :)
ReplyDeleteMia, don't worry about the mix up. There are so many vegetables in the cabbage family that it is easy to get them mixed up. I know the chard you're talking about and yes I've seen it used instead of grape leaves. Thanks for clarifying! Take care,
ReplyDeletei also want to use this photo too
ReplyDelete