Spicy Kale Crisps
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Author:
Jane Lovett
cook time
5-10 minutes
Utterly delicious, thin and light as air, and very more-ish, this can hardly be described as a recipe! The two important things to heed are, firstly to use very, very little oil - hardly any in fact, and much less than you would think. Secondly, to watch the crisps like a hawk when cooking. I cook them in the middle of a medium oven and the time will depend on the thickness of the leaves as well as the heat of the oven.
ingredients
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Kale leaves, such as Cavolo Nero
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Olive oil
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Pouring salt
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chilli flakes or powder
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sea salt flakes
directions
1. If using whole leaves of kale, strip the leaves off the tough stems running through the middle and discard the stems. Tear the leaves into fairly big chunks. Smaller leaves can be left whole. If using kale from a bag which is ready sliced/prepared, check it over and remove any tough looking bits of spine.
2. Put into a bowl and add a very, very small amount of olive oil – approximately ½ tsp for 6 large leaves – and massage the oil into the leaves with your fingers, making sure they are all smeared/coated
3. Sprinkle with a little pouring salt and some chilli flakes or powder, if using, and spread out onto a baking sheet. You may need to cook them in batches. Cook in a medium oven for 5 – 10 minutes, until crispy but not coloured, turning over after 3 – 4 minutes. The time will depend on the chunkiness of the leaves and heat of the oven. (Remove smaller, thinner leaves that have crisped up before the fatter ones from the baking sheet, as they are ready.) When cooked and whilst still hot scatter over a little sea salt.
Recipe Note
The crisps will last for a week or more in an airtight container or bowl covered with cling film. If after this time they go a bit soft, just crisp up briefly in the oven. I find they usually last much longer than a week.
A sprinkling of Dukkah is a tasty alternative to chilli.
Kale Crisps are very good atop fish, eggs and soup as a garnish and for a final crispy, savoury, and colourful flourish!
To make ‘seaweed’, as found in Chinese restaurants, stack up a few leaves of kale, roll tightly into a long cigar shape and slice into very fine strips (chiffonade). Continue as for the crisps.