Sandwich with Kale

I love tomato, I love lettuce, but my sandwiches often flirt with other vegetables, such as kale, mushroom, pepper, broccoli, asparagus, arugala, etc. Here is a kale one-- Ciabatta bread, kale sauteed with onion and dried cranberries, slices of brie cheese and sprigs of rosemary. It's earthy and fragrant, satisfying yet light.

The first time I cooked kale, I exclaimed "all vegetables are not created equal". It tasted as if being cooked with meat stock. Some people do add meat stock when cooking kale. I sometimes add it to a meat dish. But when serving it as a vegetable plate, I don't add meat stock so that I can enjoy its pure and original flavor. Most green leafy vegetables don't store well. Kale is an exception. When raw, its keeps well in the fridge for a few days. When cooked for dinner, the leftover still tastes delicious the next day by itself or in sandwiches.

I like to get kale from Keith's Farm at the Union Square Greenmarket. Many farm booths there carry kale, but Keith's has the biggest selection of varieties: winter bor, red bor, white Russian, red Russian, Lacinato, Siberian. Try all of them and find your favorite variety. Keith's has a good selection of other greens and root vegetables too.
















Recipe:
1 bunch of kale, leaves only, torn into small pieces
1/2 medium sized onion, sliced
1 handful of dried cranberries
olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
water

Sautee onion first, when soft and slightly browned, add kale. Kale shrinks but does not sweat much. Cooking time and amount of water to add depend on the variety of the kale. I found that the darker the leaf color, the longer it takes to cook, the more water it takes. Add water a little a time, cook till the softness is to your liking. Season with salt and pepper along the way. Do not cover the pan during cooking, covering tends to darken the color.

When to add dried cranberries?
Depends on your preference. For more chewy bite, add towards the end. For softer bite, add half way during cooking.

I used Ciabatta from Costco in this sandwich. For tips on how to store and reheat bread, pls see:
http://www.thoroughliving.com/2008/10/how-to-store-and-reheat-bread.html

When pack for work lunch, don't forget fruits :-)