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Food & Wine Recipe

Kale and Water Chestnuts in Curried Cream

  • ACTIVE:
  • TOTAL TIME: 35 MIN
  • SERVINGS: 12
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  • MAKE-AHEAD
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Boiling kale before sautéing it is key to making it tender. If the stems and center veins are very tough, Marcia Kiesel advises removing them: Fold the kale leaves in half with the vein side out, then pull up on the stems. Other creative ideas for b...

  1. 3/4 cup heavy cream
  2. 4 pounds kale, tough stems discarded
  3. 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  4. 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  5. 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
  6. 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Madras curry powder
  7. 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
  8. One 8-ounce can whole water chestnuts, sliced 1/4 inch thick
  9. Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  1. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil. Simmer over moderately low heat, stirring often, until reduced to 1/3 cup, about 7 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling water, cook the kale until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain the kale, and when it's cool enough to handle, gently squeeze out the excess water. Coarsely chop the kale.
  3. In a large, deep skillet, melt the butter in the olive oil. Add the onion and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the curry powder and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Stir in the chicken broth and water chestnuts and bring to a boil. Add the kale and reduced cream and toss. Cover and cook over moderate heat, stirring a few times, until the kale is sizzling, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
Make Ahead The kale can be refrigerated overnight; reheat gently, adding a few tablespoons of chicken broth as needed.