Dan Recommends: Sauteed Kale with Tahini Sauce

Oh my, this is a good one. I never would have thought to pair kale with tahini (thank you to my friend Peg for the suggestion), but it's great. Sort of reminiscent of a popular Japanese dish with spinach and sesame gomasio. The slightly bitter green kale does a happy dance with the acidic lemon and salty richness of the tahini sauce. Very easy to pull together. Would make an excellent addition to a Thanksgiving or holiday spread. Enjoy. (And as my dad says, eat your greens!)

Sautéed Kale with Tahini Sauce Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound kale, well rinsed

• 2 Tbsp olive oil

• 1 cup chopped onion

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• Salt

• 4 Tbsp tahini (use tahini made with toasted sesame seeds, not raw)

• 2 Tbsp lemon juice

• 3-4 Tbsp water

• 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

• 1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds for garnish

1 Using a sharp paring knife, cut out the rib of each kale leaf. Discard or compost. Slice the leaves roughly 1/2-inch thick.

2 Heat olive oil on medium high heat in a large sauté pan. When hot, add the chopped onion. Cook for a couple of minutes until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a minute more.

3 Add the kale to the sauté pan. Even if you have a pretty large pan, the kale will be practically falling out of it. Put in as much as you can and use tongs to turn over and mix with the oil and onions. After a couple minutes the kale should wilt a bit so you can add the rest of the raw kale. Cook, turning the kale leaves over occasionally until the kales leaves have wilted and are tender. Sprinkle a little salt over the kale leaves while cooking.

4 While the kale is cooking, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, water, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and dark sesame oil. Add more salt and sesame oil to taste.

5 Once the kale is done, toss in the sauce, reserving a little to drizzle on top. Serve, topped with a little sauce and toasted sesame seeds.

Yield: Serves 4.

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/sauteed_kale_with_tahini_sauce/