This week’s dinner (In 4 Parts)....kale infused with balsamic and garlic; sauteed sweet potatoes; pan seared red snapper with basil spice rub.

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Kale infused with Balsamic and Garlic:

Kale...at first a frightening mess of thick and seemingly indigestible vegetation (dinosaur food)...but in reality it is one of the most versatile and rich leafy green around. This recipe will have you craving it for weeks.

Time: about 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1lb fresh kale*, trimmed (remove any stems that are more than a quarter inch wide, make sure to trim up the entire length of each leaf) and washed.

1 whole clove of roasted garlic, peeled and chopped coarsely. [If you are too lazy you can substitute 1 tablespoon of minced garlic for the roasted garlic in this recipe, but the roasted garlic adds some delicate subtlety]

A simple recipe for roasted garlic: Begin by removing any outer leaves from the garlic clove, place on a piece of foil and put in a 375 degree oven for 30 to 60 minutes...for this recipe, we are going to cook the garlic a second time, so I would suggest roasting it for 40 minutes, it should be soft but maintain it’s structure and shape when pressed with the tip of a knife.

.25 cups of balsamic vinegar (the more the better)

salt, pepper, good olive oil...

First, grab a large pot and fill it about 2/3 with water, add a couple of tablespoons of salt and bring to a rolling boil. Drop in your trimmed and washed kale and boil for about 20 minutes. The kale should be considerably softer, but the structure of the leafs should not be deteriorating. Immediately transfer the kale into a bowl filled with ice water (the ice bath stops the cooking, preventing it from becoming mushy).

Next, empty all excess water from the pot, do not wash it (it has valuable flavor from boiling the kale), put it back onto the stove at a medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, coat the bottom with olive oil. Drain the kale and toss it in to the pan, followed by the garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Saute for 1 minute before pouring the balsamic vinegar into the pan.

Once 75% of the vinegar has cooked off serve immediately. (I like to serve it as is, but a light sprinkling of your favorite strong crumbly cheese can’t do too much harm.)