ORZO IN BRODO WITH KALE

I must admit that I resisted, but finally, I have discovered kale. This does not mean that I hadn't ever eaten it before, but, rather that I hadn't really cajoled it into something that was appetizing to me, made by me and consumed not once, not twice but thrice in two days! This shouldn't be an extraordinary phenomenon for me - I have made something the same way more than once, and in the same day no less - but there was something about the whole process that was so completely delectable and SO EASY, and SO HEALTHY, that I shall now profess the wonders of this leafy member of the cabbage family to everyone I know.

There are several varieties of kale but for my purposes, and this recipe, I used organic baby kale. Very leafy vs. curly. It's up to you, but I prefer the flat leaf over the curly. It's a personal quirk of mine. I feel the same way about parsley. In any event, if you don't know this, kale contains very high amounts of beta carotene and is rich in calcium. It is also known to possess "indole-3-carbinol," which can help to impede the growth of cancer cells. It can even help to lower cholesterol and decrease dietary fat. Steaming and stir-frying are said to be the best way to prepare kale so, let's talk about that.

ATTENTION vegetarians, vegans and those of you who eat gluten free: this recipe is for you! For this dish, I used baby organic kale, which is very leafy and is as delicious raw as it is cooked. The first night I made it I was in a hurry and didn't really feel like cooking a lot (it's been in the high 80/90s here and extremely humid for weeks now), so, I sautéed one onion chopped with one clove of garlic in olive oil and then added a large handful or two of kale to the pan with a ladle-full of beef consommé. I seasoned it with some Kosher salt and black pepper and I couldn't believe how delicious it was. After we ate the first batch, I made another which was equally as delicious; especially with the added squirt of fresh lemon juice. I'll bet it tastes fabulous with pieces of diced bacon and I'll bet dollars to doughnuts that Oysters Rockefeller are fantastic with kale! Perhaps on this year's Thanksgiving menu . . .

Last night, however, I wanted something more substantial but I also didn't want to make a big production of it either. It being the Fourth of July, we didn't want to have to venture out for dinner or deal with the mobs on the river for the fireworks, so I came up with the dish pictured above. It is simple and I'm sure has been made countless times by a great many people the world over. Nothing is quite so delicious as those little surprises you make that are what I call "the money dish."

ORZO* IN BRODO WITH KALE

4 cups beef consommé (salted)*

1 onion chopped coarsely

1/2 leek (white part only) julienned

1 small carrot peeled and julienned

1 clove garlic smashed and chopped coarsely

1 tomato chopped coarsely

2 tsp. fresh thyme

18 leaves fresh basil (chiffonade)

1 lb. orzo

1 lb. kale (prepared as described above)

Heat the consommé and add vegetables. Bring to a boil and turn down heat to simmer and cook for about 10 minutes. Bring back to the boil, add orzo and cook until done (about 10 minutes). You will know when it is done when the orzo begins to gain volume and eats up most of the consommé and binds with the vegetables. When you have finished adding the vegetables to consommé, start cooking the kale. The kale should wilt and turn a very dark green. Add a ladle-full of consommé when necessary to help the cooking along. You will know when it's done as it begins to gather into a mass. There should be only drops of liquid in the pan. 

Once the orzo has cooked, spoon it out into soup bowls and, with a pair of tongs, take a fair amount of kale and place on top of the orzo and serve.

Eat kale! It's good for you.

Buon appetito!

*   Using orzo for this recipe is only one way in which to make this delicious dish. You can use
farro, quinoa, risotto or even pasta shells (which, I'm sure, as a minestra would be outrageous.

** Consommés and stocks should never be salted until you are ready to use them..