I never jumped on the kale bandwagon when it became the most blogged about vegetable a year or two ago. I avoid foods that are trendy, or should I say, foods that are trending (and when did trend suddenly become a verb?) It’s not because I don’t like kale: I do grow the darker version in my garden, or rather, it grows itself annually, the tall Tuscan Prince of Winter, Cavolo Nero. Now that kale has been outstripped by the dreaded coconut in all its fatty guises, I might safely write about it.
My friend Dianne presented me with a large bouquet of beautiful purple tipped kale leaves. We were wandering through her productive veggie patch, considering the nature of gardens in their Spring transitional stage. Her bountiful kale plants, all self-sown, may need to make way for spring potatoes. Some serious food swapping needs to happen down her end of the country lane. In the meantime I am happy to take the excess and swap for Cos lettuce or radicchio seedlings.
Our gardenĀ tour took place before we drank our way through the wine cellar and agreed that a sleepover was not only wise, but compulsory. We raised our glasses in tribute toĀ our recently departed friend and pondered the meaning of life, all those questions that assume magnitudeĀ after a wine or six. Promises were made, and as I recall, a meal was eaten. We are too old and wise to adopt the famous drinker’s adage,”eating’s cheating”. No, maybe not wise.
But, getting back to that kale, now that the old-fashioned winter green is no longer trending, a healthy Japanese soup, combining kale, miso and tofu seems in order. I might even add a little recuperative salmon to the brew. Perhaps I should call this Penance Soup?
INGREDIENTS, for four.
- 5 cups water or vegetable stock
- 2 spring onions, white and light-green parts only, thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
- 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons shiro miso or pale coloured miso
- 2 teaspoons Japanese soy sauce, such as, Kikkoman
- 85 gr kale, trimmed and shredded
- 175 gr silken tofu, drained, cut into small cubes
- 180 gr piece of salmon fillet, skin removed, cubed
- reserved chopped spring onion greens for serving
The Cure
DIRECTIONS
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Bring the stock or water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add spring onions, ginger, and garlic. Reduce heat. Cover, and simmer 10 minutes.
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Add miso, then stir to dissolve. Add the soy sauce, kale, and salmon. Return to a simmer, and continue cooking gently until kale is tender, about 5 minutes. Add the silken tofu cubes to heat through. Add reserved chopped spring onion greens when serving.
Notes. The salmon can be left out for a simpler vegetarian version. Any tofu may be used but I prefer the silken variety for this soup.
Farewell to our friend Piers,Ā artist, sailor, adventurer.
ALMOST ITALIAN 
This soup sounds truly delicious Francesca, penance or no! And Iām absolutely wowed by that kale, such a beautiful colour and shape – how on earth does your friend stop it from being devoured by Cabbage White caterpillars?
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The white beasts only show up in summer. Same at my place with Tuscan Kale. The moment summer arrives, along come those white moths/caterpillars.
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I havenāt grown kale in a couple of years, but Iām sure it still got nibbled a bit in winter, though maybe Iāve got my seasons mixed up…if itās not recorded on the blog I canāt guarantee to remember anything š
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hahhaa, yes, and a very good reason to blog!
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Oh man, vale to your dear friend. love that wine was consumed and important grieving done. I am always deliberately ‘behind the eight ball’ with many trends as well. Be it food, movie etc. Other times, there are things done well ahead of time that become “popular’ and then it is impossible to talk about without sounding like you are just trying to be en pointe. This soup looks and sounds delicious.
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It is also a great hangover cure, with the saltiness from the miso and soy, the healthy green factor, the soft tenderness of the tofu and a touch of pink protein from the fish.and fast to make.
We always have a private wake for another departed one- especially when they leave this world much too soon, in a dramatic or unexpected way.
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What a lovely bouquet of kale! Kale is in our rotation of vegetables. It is just not that easy to get nice kale here week after week, and I don’t have the space to grow it, but we get to have it often enough. There was a touch of melancholy in this post, perhaps due to the loss of your friend. My sympathies. It is good for the soul to be able to remember the departed, especially with another loved one. xx
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Condolences on the loss of your friend. With such events it’s appropriate to take restorative measures of the first indulgent commemorative kind, then necessary nourishing of the equilibrium. Food for the body and spirit.
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Your words are remarkable in summing up the situation so succinctly EllaD.x
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I’ve never been taken by by kale at all…it reeks of worthiness and wordiness. We have a lot of blette/swiss chard here which I should like but can’t be bothered with. On the other hand I do love the phrase “eatin’s cheatin”….I try to avoid that system nowadays:)
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I thought you might relate to that phrase, based on some of your past lunch experiences which I can relate to well. yes, Kale is rather worthy and a bit holier than thou.But when it comes to silver beet/chard/bietola/blette- bring it on- earthy lovely salty stuff.
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Kale might be trendy but I’ve never taken to it. I prefer the bright green veges, namely – silverbeet, Iceberg & Kos Lettuces, Chinese broccoli and bok choy and of course the old-fashioned cabbage. So I must be a Traditionalist in the vege line, not a Trendyiter.
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Kale grows quite easily and is an interesting addition to a Japanese soup, or the Tuscan Variety is lovely in risotto. But, yes, I prefer silver beet too.
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Ah kale! When it started ‘trending’ š I thought yuk I would rather eat cardboard. But being a sensible person (lol) I have now been growing it for 2 seasons and popping it in the morning juice! Love the sound of this recipe .. On my to do list! I’m so sorry to hear about your friend. Big hugs to you ..
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I try to not be stubborn about trends, because I missed out on basil pesto in the 80’s for many years when it showed up in the US. But I really don’t get kale, unless it’s fully cooked, like in this lovely soup. You got me with hangover cure!
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Loving this one, Francesca xxx
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