What’s so special about Italian Kale? Sometimes called Dinosaur Kale, Lacinato, Toscano, or Strap Leaf Kale, it has a sweet broccoli flavor like any other kale. I like to eat my Kale straight, steamed or raw, but pretty much, plain. Because I like the flavor of Kale, and the kids seem to like it, too. We currently grow two other varieties, a Siberian Green and Russian Red, and I use them all interchangeably, the only difference is shape and color. I have been noticing that over the past few years, Italian Kale has taken over the field and the market place. More people prefer Italian. Why not Red Russian? One reason became clear to me while I was reading Angelo Pellegrini’s words about pasta in his book, The Unprejudiced Palate. In a discussion on how to choose the shape of pasta for the type of sauce he says, “Everyone has his preference in patterns, but the principle of selection is universally recognized: use for pasta asciutta the patterns that absorb the greatest quantity of sauce.” Italian Kale has a bumpy pattern to its leaf that will no doubt hold the greatest quantity of sauce.
Because I don’t generally sauce my kale, this finer point had been escaping me all these years, but after reading the pasta chapter before bed, then going out to harvest kale the next morning, mulling it over as I bunched the leaves, I suddenly wanted to coat the kale in olive oil and find a little chunk of minced garlic in each bubble of the leaf. I doubt that my kids would enjoy finding garlic in every bite, so for them, I’ll add soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil after the steaming. Which reminds me of a point I’ve been forgetting to make all season long with the newsletter. It is completely OK to make a dish you love, enjoy it, and then make another dish the way the kids like it. You can all look forward to more quotes from Angelo Pellegrini in future newsletters, as he has joined the ranks of my favorite food writers, along with Wendell Berry, Michael Pollan, Barbara Kingsolver, Ruth Reichl, Alice Waters, and the writers of The New Laurel’s Kitchen Cookbook. For restaurant stories, I love Anthony Bourdain. Then I can’t help extrapolating his tales onto all my favorite local chefs in my imagination. They have similar features.


Many thanks to Matthias Eichler at einmaleins shop downtown for the recommendation, and eventual gift of the book by Angelo Pellegrini. We love the book and we love the shop. If you need a thing for the kitchen or a thing to read or some other great thing, einmaleins is the shop for you. And gigantic congratulations to the Eichlers on the new addition to their family. Hooray!


I frequently use a cookbook called From Asparagus to Zucchini because it lists each vegetable and tons of information and recipes for them. This is some of what it says about Kale.
“Kale is the most ancient and among the earliest cultivated member of the cabbage family. It was a favorite vegetable in ancient Rome, and has remained a particularly popular vegetable in Scotland and Ireland for many centuries. Although cultivated in North America, Kale has not achieved the kind of widespread use it has in many European countries. The largest consumer of kale in this country is Pizza Hut, but not for eating! It is used only to decorate their salad bar, frustrating those familiar with kale’s many virtues who wish it was in the salad bar! Have you ever been caught forking a salad bar garnish into your plate?”

“Nutritionally, Kale is vastly superior to most vegetables. It is very rich in vitamin A, C and the mineral Calcium. B vitamins and other minerals are also in excellent supply. Kale is also the highest in protein content of all the cultivated vegetables.”


Besides Turkey and feasting and family and friends, holidays mean super cute little things that the teachers make the kids do at school and then bring home, like Nigel’s little list of things that he is thankful for. Guess what topped the list, or rather who? Big brother Jonas. Yup, I almost cried, too. You wouldn’t know it some days, but those darn kids love each other something fierce.