Creamed Kale lavish comfort-food dish
It’s time to embrace underappreciated fruit-persimmon
My father and grandfather, both no longer here, loved nothing better than a serious steak dinner at their favorite steakhouse, Peter Lugar’s, in New York City. If there was something to celebrate, an out-oftown guest to impress or the desire to indulge an extravagant comfort-food craving, there was one clear choice.
Ordering was easy: a starter of thickly sliced tomatoes and onions with the house dressing, which was also the house steak sauce (think of Worcestershire sauce disguised as a thick dressing), and possibly a wedge salad with beef bacon and blue cheese. To follow, there was a beef steak, sliced but with the bone served up for nibbling, with fried potatoes and creamed spinach. And after belts had been loosened, perhaps a piece of key lime pie.
I think that for most of us, to like creamed spinach is to love creamed spinach. You have to go all in if you go at all. And I love creamed spinach.
But because envelopes need the occasional pushing, I recently decided to cream up some kale with a generous amount of cream and Parmesan cheese in memory of my dad and grandpa. I know that in some circles kale is considered the king of the greens, and in others it’s considered “over.” I don’t belong to either camp, but I do love cooking with kale.
It has similar nutritional perks to spinach (not that I am selling this particular recipe as healthy), and holds up to heat with more presence. If you want, you can use baby kale in this recipe, which isn’t as tough as fully grown kale, and has no thick ribs to remove, which makes the prep easier.
This begs to be served up next to a roast chicken, a piece of seared or roasted fish, or, in the most perfect of all worlds, a juicy beef steak.
festival, traditional dances, comedy show by Samad Mimics (Flowers TV Fame), and Musical Night led by South Indian playback singer cum music director Jassie Gift with famous artist hailing from Kuwait.
Art
Creamed kale with Parmesan Serves 4 to 6
Start to finish: 20 minutes 1-1/2 pounds kale 1-1/2 cups heavy cream Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste Pinch red pepper flakes 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
If you are using mature kale, trim the tough middle rib from the leaves, and roughly chop the leaves. If you are using baby kale, roughly chop that. Rinse them in a colander. Add the kale to the boiling water and boil for 4 to 5 minutes, until the kale is fairly tender. Drain in a colander, rinse with cold water, and then use your hands to squeeze as much water as you can out of the kale.
Place the cream in the pot you used to cook the kale. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, and then lower the heat to medium and continue to simmer until reduced by about 1/2, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and the red pepper flakes. Add the blanched kale and simmer, stirring often, until the cream sauce is further reduced and coats the kale, about 3 minutes. Stir in the Parmesan until the cheese is melted and everything is well blended.
Transfer to a serving bowl and serve hot.
Nutrition information per serving: 272 calories; 223 calories from fat; 25 g fat (15 g saturated; 1 g trans fats); 88 mg cholesterol; 332 mg sodium; 9 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 3 g sugar; 6 g protein.
You’ve likely seen persimmon in the grocery store and then shied away from it, not quite sure what to do with it.
The most common variety in the US is the fuyu persimmon, also called Japanese persimmon, and it looks similar to a slightly flatter orange tomato. The skin is thin and edible like the tomato, but texture is firmer, more like a cantaloupe. The flavor falls somewhere in between the two: not quite as acidic as a tomato and slightly less sweet than a melon.
The persimmon’s sweetness means an average fruit is about 115 calories — a bit higher than many other grab-and-go options like an apple — but the high fiber content means it’s a filling snack choice. In addition to the fiber, persimmons are excellent purveyors of antioxidant vitamins C and A, with a medium piece of fruit providing 20 percent and 50 percent of our daily requirements, respectively.
Use the persimmon as a creative alternative to raw tomatoes or melon in your recipes. Dice persimmon into tiny cubes and add to a bruschetta, serve slices on a cheese platter, wrap persimmon wedges with salty prosciutto, or chop and toss in salad.
Or, just polish a persimmon on your shirt and bite into it like an apple. In today’s recipe for avocado and goat cheese toast, I replace the trusty tomato slice on my avocado toast with a slice of persimmon, with its cheery orange color and star-shaped pattern etched into the flesh by nature. I took the liberty of swapping part of the avocado for herbed goat cheese which makes the persimmon truly sing, making this a perfect entry into loving this underappreciated fruit.
Avocado and goat cheese toast with persimmon Servings: 4 Start to finish: 10 minutes
4 slices of whole grain bread, toasted
1/4 cup soft herbed goat cheese (or herb and garlic cream cheese) 1/2 small avocado 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1 medium Fuyu persimmon, sliced (also called Japanese persimmon) 2 tablespoons chopped mint 2 tablespoons chopped pistachios 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes or paprika, optional
1 teaspoon olive oil
Spread the soft cheese onto half of each bread slice. Lightly mash the avocado with the lemon juice in a small bowl, and spread gently onto the remaining half of each bread slice. Top each slice of bread with a slice or two of persimmon. Sprinkle with a little mint, pistachio, salt and red pepper flakes or paprika, if using. Drizzle a few drops of olive oil onto each toast, or use a mister to spray a little olive oil on each slice. Enjoy open-faced. Nutrition information per serving: 223 calories; 108 calories from fat; 12 g fat (4 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 11 mg cholesterol; 401 mg sodium; 23 g carbohydrate; 6 g fiber; 7 g sugar; 8 g protein. (AP)
‘Beyond The Dunes’ expo:
Dar Al Funoon announces the exhibition ‘Beyond The Dunes’ by Fahad Al Naymah.
Opening on Nov 19, at 7:00 pm, the exhibition continues through Dec 7, 2017. Beyond The Dunes celebrates that
glorious creature of our desert home — the camel. With elegance and ingenuity, Al Naymah portrays the camel in an abstracted manner that reflects its significance in our desertic heritage. Gallery hours: Sunday to Thursday: 10:00 am-1:00 pm and 4:00 pm-8:00 pm. Saturday: By appointment Getting to the Gallery: Al-Watiah, Behbehani Compound, House No. 28.
For further information call +965 2243 3183
Art Expo at Sultan Gallery:
The Sultan Gallery announces art exhibition titled ‘Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim: A Selection of Artworks’, in collaboration with Cuadro Fine Art Gallery, Dubai. Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim one of the “five” pioneer conceptual artists from the United Arab Emirates including Hassan Sharif, Abdullah Al Saadi, Hussain Sharif and Mohammed Kazem, was born in Khorfakkan, UAE in 1962. He carries a degree in Psychology from Al Ain University and has also completed a residency at Le Consortium Art Centre in Dijon, France.
Mohammed Ibrahim received the First Prize for Sculpture at the Sharjah Biennial in 2001 and 1999. His work is in significant collections, including Qatar’s Arab Museum of Modern Art, the Sharjah Art Museum and Holland’s Sittard Art Center.
Exhibition dates: Opening: Tuesday, Nov 7, 2017: 7-9pm; Nov 7 - Dec 12; 10am - 4pm; (closed on Fridays, Saturdays and Public Holidays)
For press enquiries, please contact: +965 24714325 Ext. 110
sultangallery1969@gmail.com
The Box expo at CAP:
The Contemporary Art Platform announces an exhibition titled ‘The Box’ by Melanie Francesca. Opening reception: Nov 6 from 7-9 pm. Location: Contemporary Art Platform. Exhibition open until Nov 28.