The SUPER Food

Ruth and I watch a good amount of Food Network.  In fact, our relationship is largely based on Iron Chef America.  You see, only a few months after we met, I moved to Arizona while she was still in college in California.  Our weekly tradition together was to be on the phone while we both watched Iron Chef America from our separate locations.  (This was pre-DVR, so it had to be live via phone.)  While Bobby Flay did not accept our invitation to our wedding, ICA remains a tradition of ours to this day, 8 years later.

So we watched the show this past weekend, and were thrilled to find a secret ingredient that is a personal favorite of mine: kale.  Kale is really the super food.  Ounce for ounce, it has more calcium than a glass of milk and more iron than a steak, plus LOADS of other vitamins and minerals, all wrapped up in what is actually quite yummy.  Now I don't really like raw kale, as I find it a bit fibrous.  But cook it down a bit and you have something really special.

Normally, I braise kale and serve it with something to give a bit of texture, like smoked white beans.  But this time, I wanted to do my own take on something we saw on the show.  The challenger made a smokey (he used bacon) kale chowder.  After a big round of "If not for the bacon, I would totally want that right now" from Ruth and me, I jumped into action.

Kale and Corn Chowder
1 bundle of raw kale
2 ears of corn (or 1 large can)
Vegetable stock
1/4 cup heavy cream
Juice of 2 limes
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp each cumin, coriander, ground mustard seed
1/2 tsp allspice
Salt, pepper, cayenne to taste
Start by prepping the kale.  Remove the thicker parts of the stem (they are way too fibrous and are tough to cook down), then roughly chop the rest.  Smash your garlic, and add to the bottom of a stock pan with the butter, and cook until the butter melts completely.  Then add the kale along with a generous pinch of salt.  Stirring frequently to prevent burning, cook it down over medium-high heat until the kale softens slightly.  Add vegetable stock until the kale is about 2/3 covered, along with the dry spices.  Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until kale has broken down (about 30 minutes).  While this is going on, lightly grill your corn (if using fresh) directly on your gas burner, then cut the kernels off the cob.  Reserve these to the side.  When the kale is soft, blend the soup fully with an immersion blender.  You should have some small pieces of kale remaining, but nothing of any real size.  Add the corn, cream, and lime juice, along with salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste.

Once again, my life has been enriched by my small addiction to food television.  Thank you Iron Chef America for my superfood, and for this incredible new way to enjoy it!