The Crisper Whisperer: What to Do with Too Much Kale

Name: The Crisper Whisperer: What to Do with Too Much Kale
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Global
Ingredients: 227 grams (2 sticks) unsalted butter, diced and kept in the freezer; 6 eggs; 4 larges garlic cloves, chopped; 237 milliliters heavy cream; 57 grams ice water; 454 grams kale, stripped, chopped, and washed as specified In the Crisper (above); 473 milliliters milk; 79 milliliters grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese; 9 servings A few good grinds of black pepper; 1 medium red onion, diced; 0 teaspoons salt; 1 pinch Big of salt; 340 grams pancetta or slab bacon, 1/4-inch dice; 340 grams unbleached all-purpose flour

The Crisper Whisperer: What to Do with Too Much Kale might be just the main course you are searching for. This recipe serves 6. One serving contains 1031 calories, 29g of protein, and 78g of fat. A mixture of a few grinds of pepper, salt, pecorino romano cheese, and a handful of other ingredients are all it takes to make this recipe so flavorful. To use up the milk you could follow this main course with the Milky Way Brownie Bites as a dessert. From preparation to the plate, this recipe takes roughly 45 minutes.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

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Oven

Place the diced pancetta in a large frying pan. Sauté over medium-high heat until nicely browned and cooked through, lowering the heat if necessary as you go.

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Pancetta

Equipment you will use

Frying Pan

Remove the pancetta with a strainer or slotted spoon to a paper-towel-lined plate and reserve.

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Pancetta

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Slotted Spoon

Sieve

Pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of the fat from the pan.

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Frying Pan

Reduce the heat to medium-low.

Add the diced onion to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to soften but not brown.

Ingredients you will need

Onion

Equipment you will use

Frying Pan

Add the chopped garlic and cook, stirring, one minute more. Be careful not to burn the garlic.

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Garlic

Increase the heat to medium-high.

Add a large handful of the prepared kale to the pan. Cover and cook a minute or two until slightly wilted. Toss to distribute the onions and garlic so they don't burn.

Ingredients you will need

Garlic

Onion

Kale

Equipment you will use

Frying Pan

Add more kale to the pan by the handful. When all the kale is in the pan, add 1/4 cup water and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook, covered, for approximately 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. If the pan becomes dry, add a few additional tablespoons of water to prevent burning.

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Water

Kale

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Frying Pan

Remove from heat and mix in pancetta.

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Pancetta

To make the custard, crack the eggs into a large bowl and whisk until frothy.

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Custard

Egg

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Whisk

Bowl

Add the milk, cream, salt, and pepper and whisk again until very frothy and well combined. Don't be shy with the whisk--the air will help prevent the solid ingredients from falling to the bottom of the custard while the quiche bakes.

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Custard

Pepper

Cream

Milk

Salt

Equipment you will use

Whisk

To assemble the quiche, gently distribute half of the kale mixture onto the bottom of the blind-baked crust.

Ingredients you will need

Crust

Kale

Pour half the custard over top and sprinkle with half the grated cheese. Repeat with the remaining kale mixture, custard and cheese.

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Custard

Cheese

Kale

Bake for 90 minutes (or up to 2 hours if necessary), until custard is just set but still jiggles slightly when agitated. Cool to room temperature and then chill until completely cold.

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Custard

Equipment you will use

Oven

Serve cold by the slice.

Savory Pastry Dough,

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Pastry Dough

Baked Blind: Preheat the oven to 350°F.

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Oven

Combine the flour, butter and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade. Pulse to blend until most of the mixture looks like coarse meal, with some larger pieces of butter about the size of peas.

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Butter

All Purpose Flour

Peas

Salt

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Food Processor

Bowl

With the motor running, add the ice water through the feed tube and blend very briefly to incorporate. Pick up a small handful of the dough and squeeze gently. If the dough holds together, turn it out onto a clean, dry work surface. If not, add more water by the teaspoonful and pulse just until it does. Do not overwork the dough, or it will get tough.

Ingredients you will need

Water

Dough

Using the heel of your hand, smear the dough forward on the work surface in about 8 sections to distribute the butter. Working quickly, gather the dough into a disc shape, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

Ingredients you will need

Butter

Dough

Wrap

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Plastic Wrap

Remove the dough from the fridge to rest for a few minutes. On a lightly floured work surface or two overlapping sheets of parchment paper, roll out the dough to a scant 1/4-inch thickness. It should make a circle big enough to fit the bottom and sides of the ring mold or cake pan with substantial overhang (see photo here).

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Dough

Roll

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Baking Paper

Cake Form

Place the ring mold or cake pan on a baking sheet and line with parchment paper. Ease the dough into the ring mold or pan, making sure it lines the bottom and sides without gaps.

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Dough

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Baking Paper

Baking Sheet

Cake Form

Cut away and reserve a few pieces from the overhang to patch any holes that arise during blind baking.

Line the dough with a sheet of parchment paper and fill with dried beans or pie weights.

Ingredients you will need

Dried Beans

Dough

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Baking Paper

Bake for 30 minutes.

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Oven

Remove the beans and parchment, patch any holes with some of the reserved dough, and bake for about 15 minutes more, until lightly browned. If any holes remain, patch with the remaining reserved dough.

Ingredients you will need

Beans

Dough

Equipment you will use

Oven