Cooking with Kale

So one of the other popular items during the winter in our Farm Share, aside from root vegetables, is hearty winter greens.  We've turned them into soups, put them in lasagna...but this time we just sauteed them up with some bacon, pine nuts and garlic and had them as a side.  Delicious!

(Recipe from Gourmet, found on epicurious.com.  We halved this recipe for the two of us and added pine nuts.)

Winter Greens with Bacon

Ingredients

* 2 1/2 lbs kale (about 4 bunches), tough stems and center ribs cut off and discarded (we also added collard greens because we had them)

* 10 slices bacon (1/2 pounds), cut into 1/2-inch pieces

* 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

* 2 c. water

Preparation

Stack a few kale leaves and roll lengthwise into a cigar shape.  Cut crosswise into 1/4-inch wide strips with a sharp knife.  Repeat with remaining leaves.

Cook bacon in a wide 6- to 8-qt heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, then transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.  Pour off and discard all but 3 tbs fat from pot, then cook garlic in remaining fat over moderately low heat, stirring, until pale golden, about 30 seconds.  Add kale (pot will be full) and cook, turning with tongs, until wilted and bright green, about 1 minute.  Add water and simmer, partially covered, until just tender, 6-10 minutes.  Toss with bacon and salt and pepper to taste.