A Deeper Shade of Green

I must confess I have conducted a very public love affair throughout winter with something other than the Anesthetist. It's not that he was boring me, but you know when you start something new and you get that feeling of exhilaration? Well, it started like that. And since then, it's been almost a daily addiction, comes in various forms and makes me feel soooo good. In fact, the Anesthetist sometimes indulges as well now. It's called Kale. And it is delicious and super good for you.

I had never heard of or eaten Kale until I lived in New York. Now, it's my new best friend. I juice it, steam it and eat it raw. I can feel the green goodness seep through me as soon as I touch its deep green leaves. I swear I did not get sick once through the whole winter because of this superfood (the fact that is was a very mild winter is beside the point). Frankly, I cant get enough of the stuff.

And it seems that I am not the only one. Tyler Brule wrote an acerbic piece in his weekly Financial Times column, noting Kale was clearly the new water in New York. He sniffed that just as everyone here apparently always carries a litre of water around with them for fear of being caught out in a flash drought, so too does every restaurant serve kale with everything. Personally, I find this exhilarating, being able to go from restaurant to restaurant without missing my daily intake of iron and vitamins.

For those who are not sure what the heck I'm referring to, Kale is a member of the cabbage family but doesn't form a head. It looks more like silver beet or broccoli whose floretes have unwound, if that makes sense! I won't go into all the nutritional value of this wonder veggie, but if it isn't yet in Oz, I encourage someone to buy some heirloom seedlings from here and start growing it. Now I've developed my kale passion, spinach and broccoli have gone out the window. And it is so versatile! Here are 2 simple recipes to try that will make you go "yummm"....

GREEN JUICE:

This is very similar to the signature juice in the BluePrint Cleanse, but you don't have to go on a juice diet to reap the benefits:

• Kale
• Granny Smith apple
• celery
• lemon
• ginger
• cucumber
• parsley

Put all ingredients through a juicer and there's your breakfast, afternoon wake-me-up or liquid dinner. Just don't expect to go to sleep straight after. You will feel more like doing a workout!

SUPER EASY KALE SALAD:

This is a riff on a salad we had at Maialino one brunch:

• washed Kale leaves with the stem cut out and leaves chopped finely
• Kohlrabi - or I use chopped radishes
• roasted hazelnuts
• shaved pecorino
• simple dressing like oil, lemon, salt and pepper

Delicious on its own or great as a side. The only downer on all this is apparently kale is much sweeter during winter and into spring. So what am I going to obsess over during summer?!

images: the luxury spot, raw epicurean, robb report,