I originally attempted to make this recipe at my best friend's house. But since I didn't pack up my entire pantry, and she doesn't much like Kale, we had to improvise. I used regular onion instead of the red onion, chicken boullion in water instead of broth, and simple little things like that. I also included half spinach in place of some of the red kale, because I couldn't find Tuscan Kale.
Having thought I had some left over kale and some of the ingredients, I chose to make it according to the recipe. I still haven't found the left over kale, it must be at Andrea's. So, we bought more kale, and I went with the regular, its what the store had. My sous-chef, James, and fellow food taster is now off strike(thank goodness) and sliced some onion and roughly chopped the garlic. and did any opened any number of cans for me...I really need a new can opener. I do love his patience. Now that James has been mentioned, lets get back to the food.
And, gasp, yes, Tanya bought and used canned food. Its the only way you can get Cannellini beans. And while any white bean can be used, when you forget to soak them, or you don't have good luck soaking them, you tend to lean a little towards the cans. I'm spoiled with Cannellini beans. They have a certain creaminess and a hint of sweetness that isn't found in other beans. As I type this, I hope that sweetness isn't due to added sugar, but since its in beans...as long as its not too much, I think we'll be okay.
So, you begin with a little oil, and carmelize your onion and garlic, just a bit with some crushed red pepper and a bay leaf. Then you add in the kale with some salt and pepper.
Add the wily-beans, tomatoes. Next comes a small amount of vegetable or chicken stock, though in the future I will try it with beef stock. Broth may be used in place of stock. Once the kale is wilted, serve with oil drizzled over it(I skipped this step) and enjoy.
James and I both liked it. Note about the beans...I thought I bought two cans of beans...but when I got the groceries inside, I only had one can. I searched high and low and wondered if I'd left them at the store 15 miles away that I was not going back to. I have not yet found Cannellini beans at our local store and didn't want to mix beans that night, so I used one can instead of two for the entire recipe. I wanted more beans, but if you have only one can of beans, it will work.
Later, after picking up my nephew for the weekend, I found the beans had almost rolled under the front seat of my truck. Maybe they weren't ready to meet Kale in a bath of vegetable or chicken stock yet;-).
I will definitely make this recipe again. And since it isn't terribly expensive, it might even be made regularly.
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