Jim Dixon wrote about food for WW for extra than 20 many years, but these times most of his time is invested at his olive oil-concentrated specialty food items small business, Wellspent Marketplace. Jim’s usually liked to consume, and he encourages his customers to cook by sending them recipes every week by his publication. We’re pleased to have him again building some particular dishes just for WW readers.
Kale Fritters
In Northern Italy, cooks chop up leftover cooked vegetables, blend them with some egg, breadcrumbs, Parmigiano cheese and garlic, then shape the mix into patties that are fried in olive oil. I figured out about these small fritters, named subrich in the Piemontese dialect, from the unfortunately out-of-print cookbook named Purple, White, & Greens by Faith Willinger, an American writer married to an Italian and dwelling in Florence.
The subrich (soo-brick) technique works with plenty of different greens, but I believe leafy greens, leftover or not, make the ideal fritters. You can make these with curly kale—or even collard, turnip, or mustard greens, but I like the flavor of what is generally named lacinato or Tuscan kale, cavolo nero (black cabbage) in Italian.
Alternatively of applying leftover cooked greens, I desire to cook them in a large pot of properly-salted drinking water, then chop them up to make the fritter blend. I pan fry them in olive oil right up until they get brown and crispy. Make a batch and impress anybody who will take a chunk. Make a couple a lot more and you’ll question why you have not been accomplishing this forever.
Tends to make 10-12 fritters.
1 bunch kale (red, eco-friendly, or lacinato)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2-3 eggs
1/4 cup bread crumbs (additional if necessary)*
2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Added virgin olive oil for pan frying
*Conserve the ends of loaves before they mold, slash into cubes, spread on a sheet pan, and let dry on the counter for a few times. Grind into tough breadcrumbs in a food processor.
Convey a significant pot of effectively-salted water to boil, add kale, and cook for 10 minutes. Eliminate, drain, squeeze to eliminate as much water as attainable, and chop into around 1/4 inch parts. Blend kale, garlic, cheese, salt and bread crumbs in a massive mixing bowl. Incorporate 2 eggs, mix very well, and test to kind a modest ball with a pair of tablespoons of the combination. If the combination does not hold jointly, include the other egg. If it would seem a tiny wet, insert a lot more breadcrumbs.
Use more than enough of the extra virgin olive oil to coat the base of a weighty skillet, then warmth above medium until eventually the oil starts to shimmer, about 1 moment. Use two spoons to type about walnut-sized fritters, carefully slide them into the oil and flatten cautiously. Cook dinner as numerous as will in shape into the skillet without the need of crowding include more oil between batches if desired. Cook right up until brown, flip and brown the other side. Sprinkle with coarse salt and try to eat scorching.