Proud Italian Cook

I Made Kale Chips, and Hated Them!

July 5, 2010 by Marie 32 Comments

I knew I was going to make these chips sooner or later, recipes have been floating around the blogosphere for a while now and I couldn’t wait to try it myself. You see I have a daughter who loves kale, she convinced me to try it, and now I too love kale. In fact we’re growing two different kinds in our garden this year and it’s growing like crazy!

I sent her home with a huge bag of raw kale last week so she could make her salads with it, I tried giving her the kale chips, and she “No thanks!” This is coming from a kale loving person, and even she didn’t like them!

I guess it’s a love hate thing but to me it tastes like crispy seaweed that turns into dust in your mouth. Maybe I should have flavored them up more or done something different, or maybe I should just let it go and eat it the way I really like it, in salads and braised.

The way I made them was simple. Wash your kale real good and then make sure it’s nice and dry. Cut your kale leaves off the stem and tear them into bite size pieces. Toss in olive oil, place on a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and bake until crispy about 20 minutes in a 300F oven.

If any of you kale chip lovers have some tips you want to share please feel free to do so, maybe there’s still hope!

My husband who has the green thumb pulled our first eggplant and my favorite tiny clustered tomatoes today and the basil is growing out of control!

It must be all that watering he does! Enjoy your short work week, and Buon Appetito.

32 Comments Filed Under: Greens Tagged: garden vegetables, kale chips

Red, White and Blue Potato Salad

June 30, 2010 by Marie 36 Comments

No Fourth of July picnic or barbecue is complete without a potato salad of some sort. We all have our favorites but if you want to change it up a bit and bring a little patriotic theme to your table, search out those teeny tiny red, white and blue potatoes.

I happen to come across some at my local farmers market last week and couldn’t resist. These bite size potatoes are no bigger than an olive and they’re just perfect for roasting, they have a tender thin skin so there’s no need for peeling, and they cook up in a matter of minutes.

I also love those colored fingerling potatoes they’re a little larger and cook up just as fast.

My favorite way to prepare them is to simply roast them in a hot oven around 450 degrees, drizzled with olive oil. I like to add in some red pepper to roast along with the potatoes.

When they become fork tender, which doesn’t take long, toss them into a bowl and add chopped red onion or shallots, snipped chives, sliced scallions, fresh parsley, salt and pepper to taste with lots of grated lemon peel.

Whisk up fresh squeezed lemon and olive oil for your dressing and pour it all over and toss, as it sits it just gets better and better as all the flavors start to absorb.

I like to leave some whole and cut a few in half so you can see the vibrant colors. So perfect for the Fourth of July and no worries about keeping it cold, no mayo required.

The nice thing about potato salad is that it goes perfect with just about anything that you make on your grill or pack up for a picnic.

Sip something cold, relax and enjoy your weekend. I’ve been on an ice cube making binge lately, adding blueberries and raspberries to water then freezing the cubes and dropping them into lemonade.

Here I made cubes out of watermelon puree and mint, a nice change from the norm!

Have a safe and Happy Fourth of July!

You can follow me on Instagram to see what else I’m cooking up.

36 Comments Filed Under: Side Dishes, Summer, Vegetables Tagged: Fourth of July, grilled sweet potato salad, red white and blue, teeny tiny potatoes

Cantaloupe Puree with Prosciutto-Wrapped Bread Sticks

June 25, 2010 by Marie 28 Comments

This is the perfect starter for a summer dinner party, it’s sort of a modern twist on the very classic proscuitto-wrapped melon, you’re still going to get that sweet and salty flavour experience that we all love, but with two different textures going on.

I’m almost embarrassed to tell you how simple this is to make, just cut your cantaloupe in chunks and place in a food processor/blender and process until smooth! How simple is that!

Then to make things even more simpler, I used store bought bread sticks, but you can make your own if you’re adventurous. Wrap one slice of prosciutto on the end of each bread stick and place on the rim of a glass. Serve immediately.

Would you like to wow your guests at your next party? You can make a whole tray of these by using those cute little shooter glasses that you can get at any party store. Just cut your bread sticks in half, wrap them with 1/2 slice of proscuitto and place on the rim of your shooter glasses.