Chip 'n' Kale

Patatine" di Cavolo
Kale Chips

If you are in America, you may already be familiar with kale chips... I am not- so I wasn't! I have been reading so much about them lately, that I thought I would give them a go. I liked the sound of a healthy, unusual and natural snack and found it hard to imagine how it could work to make chips out of kale- or what they might taste like! Well...now I know!

Kale chips are very mildly bitter, very, very crispy, intense, complex, extremely light and totally different. They are oven-baked, so that means that they are basically dehydrated- which by default means that the flavor intensifies. With some coarse sea salt, or better still a flavored salt like I prepared, I like to think of them as a very adult and classy "foodie" snack. Go ahead and give them a try... you know you want to!

The method for making these is incredibly simple. Wash and dry off the kale and tear it into small pieces. You can cut it, but I just think it is nicer torn. Then, coat it very lightly with olive oil... you only need a little! You will see that the dull green leaves immediately take on a nice sheen and the oil seeps into them. Again- less oil is more in this case! Now sprinkle them lightly with salt. Plain salt is fine, but I ground up some sea salt with a few caraway seeds, a little paprika, a little pepper and yes, a pinch of sugar. This really works well with the kale!

Spread it out on a baking tray and bake for 20-25 minutes at a moderate heat- that's about as long as it took for me. It becomes incredibly crispy and feather light- a totally new sensation when you eat them- they just melt in your mouth! I have to say I was immediately hooked and will be trying a version with salt and vinegar next, which I think should be better still!

But for a first attempt I was pretty thrilled- and I think you will be too!