Ann's Blog
Toronto, Canada:
Sept. 10, 2011
Kale Crisps and Melon Mojitos:
The market made me do it
The St. Lawrence Market – my local when I’m in Toronto – is irresistible this time of year, especially on Saturdays, when it sprawls out of its two buildings and onto the sidewalks. I always buy more than I plan. But, hey, who could resist a basket of glossy-red, Ontario-grown Scotch bonnet peppers? (The woman whose farm they came from assured me they were hotter than Hades and, yes, was she right.) Or – were my eyes deceiving me? – the basket marked “Trinidadian pimentos (not hot)”? Wow. Seasoning peppers from an Ontario farm! And in the cooler bag slung over my shoulder were 2 lbs of Ontario-raised goat destined for a curry that called for both types of peppers.
A basket of adorable yellow and green pattypan squashes, almost too cute to eat. A quart of delicate little “wild” (lowbush) blueberries from northern Ontario. Just-picked local peaches, peaches-and-cream corn, a bunch of leggy sunflowers. The market is a brisk 15-minute walk from where we live, and every trip I struggle to carry everything home afterwards.
Which is why it was a good thing Steve came to market with me last week. No way I could have toted home half of that enormous watermelon by myself. (Sure, there were smaller, personal-sized watermelons, but the farmer offered tastes of both types, and the big boy was sweeter, crisper, and positively oozed the archetypal watermelon flavour.) It was great straight. Even better in a Melon Mojito. (It took me several tries to get the proportions right; Steve didn’t mind this one bit. )
I also brought home an oversized bunch of kale, inspired by a stranger. We had met at a cottage I was visiting for a magazine assignment, and during drinks before dinner, she wowed me with the story of how she got her young kids to devour kale: She turned it into oven-roasted kale chips. Steve and I love kale – on its own sautéed with garlic as a side dish, or added to pasta sauce or soup. How could we not love kale chips?
We did. Now I’m trying to figure out what other greens would also work with this simple technique. I’m thinking West Indian “spinach” (amarynth) – because you don’t find much kale in the Caribbean.
Melon Mojito
handful fresh mint leaves (we like spearmint)
1 oz grenadine
generous ½ oz freshly squeezed lime juice
1½–2 oz rum (white, amber, or dark, your choice)
6 oz puréed watermelon (about 2 cups watermelon chunks)
soda water
1. In a tall glass, muddle the mint with the lime juice and grenadine.
2. Add the watermelon and rum and stir well.
3. Add crushed ice, top with soda water, and stir. Garnish with a sprig of mint.
Makes 1 drink.
Kale Crisps
12 large kale leaves (approx.)
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. Preheat oven to 250˚F.
2. Wash and dry kale leaves. Cut leaves in half vertically and remove center rib and stem. Toss in a large bowl with olive oil and season lightly.
3. Arrange kale on 2 large baking sheets so that leaves are not overlapping. Bake in preheated oven for 30–35 minutes, until leaves are crisp.
4. Transfer leaves to rack or paper-towel-lined tray to cool.
Makes about 24 crisps.
Sign up to be notified by email when I post a new blog
sprinkle sesame seeds and a bit of salt on the kale rocks. I like to think of them as kale potato chips.