Cooking With Maddie Newsletter #11
Kale Salad with Breadcrumbs and Parmesan Chicken & Kale Sauté
Hi friends!
For those of you who may be new here, welcome to the Cooking With Maddie newsletter! I started this bad boy during the depths of quarantine— a time when all I wanted to do was cook and eat with friends and family, but couldn’t because, well, the world was crumbling down. With more people cooking at home, I wanted to find a way to share recipes, tips, tricks, shortcuts, hacks— you name it— so that cooking would be a little less stressful and a lot more fun.
And now we’re on the 11th newsletter, and I honestly can’t believe you're allowing my adventures, stories and (sometimes) rants to occupy space in your inbox. Writing these newsletters have become genuinely the best part of my week so thank you!
This week, our household made a sweeping declaration: we are eating healthy. These sort of promises are typically saved for right before summer or the holidays, but after weeks of comfort food and with halloween right around the corner, we knew we had to cancel out the candy intake somewhere (and with the election, the likely wine intake). Hence, the bold and ultimately damning announcement to “be healthy this week.”
Now, I’m not sure about your household, but in mine, we are very aware that these sort of commitments are short-lived. After a week or so of salads and celery sticks, we’re chomping at the bit for a bowl of pasta or ice cream. That’s just the truth. And I’m telling you this so that next week, when you get a newsletter from me about a recipe that’s smothered in cheese or bacon, you’re not like WTF? We’re only human and eating “healthy” all the time is boring.
But this week, we’re sticking with the healthy thing (ugh), and what’s the epitome of healthy food? Kale.
I’ll admit, kale is usually not my go-to leafy green. The world has deemed it the most basic of veggies, and quite honestly, it needs a lot of attention before it transforms from a leathery, fibrous SOB into something delicious. When it isn’t prepared right, it’s a very obvious reminder that you are eating for health, not flavor or fun. But when it’s prepared with an extra minute of TLC, it becomes something cravable — and healthy. This is a rare combo to come by.
This week, I have two kale recipes for you — both of which I consider healthy and worthy of seconds.
The first is a Kale Salad with Breadcrumbs.
This recipe was inspired by a shaved kale salad I recently had at Pastaria, and I’ve been dreaming about it ever since. To my surprise, the raw kale wasn’t at all chewy or tough. In fact, it was soft and covered in finely toasted breadcrumbs, and well, now I eat kale salads.
Here’s what you’ll need:
1 cup italian-style breadcrumbs — you can make your own in a food processor with a stale loaf of bread, or I like these
1 bunch of kale, chopped with stems removed — sometimes I’m lazy and just buy a pre-chopped bag
Salt
Cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
Cucumbers, diced
Parmesan cheese, sliced
Olive oil
Lemon juice
Pepper
Start by toasting your breadcrumbs. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, and dump your cup of breadcrumbs into a thin layer on a half-size baking sheet. Toast until lightly brown, 5-10 minutes. Set aside.
Next comes the most important part of a kale salad: massaging the kale. Yes, you read that right. To ensure that raw kale isn’t tough and chewy, all it takes is a quick massage.
In a large bowl, add your chopped kale with a pinch of salt. The salt will help tenderize and soften the kale. Grabbing handfuls of greens, squeeze the bunches until you feel the leaves start to relax and release moisture. Continue to massage for 3-5 minutes, or until the leaves are a bit wilted and the volume has reduced. This step may seem unnecessary, but I promise you— it’s the difference between eating something that tastes like bark versus eating something that’s restaurant quality.
Next, add the cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and cooled breadcrumbs to the bowl and toss.
Cut thin shards from a parmesan hunk and add to the salad, or using a microplane, shower the salad with grated parm.
Finally, add a drizzle of olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and mix until combined.
My next kale recipe for you is a tried and true— Parmesan Chicken and Kale Sauté.
This is our go-to recipe for whenever we have leftover kale around the house, but we’re sick of eating salads. And don’t tell me to try making Kale Chips. I have, and I don’t like them.
This simple one-skillet sauté comes together quickly, and combines the best elements of salt (parm), fat (chicken thighs), acid (lemon) and heat (red chili flakes). If you haven’t read my bible, SALT FAT ACID HEAT by Samin Nosrat, or watched her Netflix special, stop what you’re doing and get to it!
Ingredients:
Olive oil
1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into ½ inch thick strips
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 large bunch flat-leaf kale, stems removed and leaves coarsely chopped
½ cup dry white wine
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Lemon juice
Start by heating a bit of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add your chicken slices, and season with salt and pepper. Saute until golden brown and cooked through, or 7-10 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and cover to keep warm.
Add the onion, garlic and red pepper flakes to the skillet. Sauté until the onions are soft, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the chopped kale and salt. Like spinach, the kale may see to overflow the skillet, but after a minute on the heat, it’ll shrink down.
Once the kale has reduced in size, add the wine. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes, until the kale is tender.
Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet. Off heat, add the parmesan and lemon juice. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
For what’s giving me life this week, it was VOTING. I’m so proud to live in a state that values its voters, and even more proud that Colorado flipped a Senate seat. It was drinking more espresso martinis than any human ever should. I just recently got this espresso maker, and I can confidently tell you it’s my new favorite kitchen appliance. Yes, I have favorite kitchen appliances. Espresso Martini recipe coming soon! It was taking photos of my beautiful friends with a Polaroid Mini. My girlfriends have been working tirelessly to keep a smile on my face these last few weeks. Thank you for all the belly laughs and giggles. It’s pre-ordering one of my all-time favorite food writers Molly Baz’s first cookbook, Cook This Book.
And lastly, it’s been watching the strength and perseverance of my dear friend Abbey as she’s made her way through the complicated world of IVF. She’s shown me that even in moments of darkness, we can find things to be hopeful about. I highly recommend checking out Resolve.org, an incredible organization who’s made this heartbreaking process a little bit easier for my best friend.
Wish I was with you,
Maddie