Dee Randall > wrote:

>"Steve Pope" > wrote in message

>> This is why I like to use a minimum of liquid when cooking
>> spinach or kale.

>Funny you should mention a 'minimum of liquid' when cooking .... kale.
>Being from where they cook green beans a minimum of 2 hours in a large
>amount of water and never having seen kale cooked in less than a couple of
>gallons of water (a bit of hyperbole), for less than 3 hours, I had never
>cooked kale except in at least a gallon of water and for at least 45
>minutes.

Yes, if it's particularly tough kale, it can take 30 or more minutes
to cook. If you go to farmers' markets and buy young, baby
kale, then 15-20 is usually enough.

I add liquid as I go along so it does not dry out.

> But eating a cold kale dish that I've eaten at Whole Foods
> in Vienna, VA, that, as I remember. included a few carrots,
> sesame seeds and some kind of oil, perhaps sesame?, perhaps tofu?

For us, cold kale w/ tofu is a standard. I'm not aware that
the Japanese will include tofu in a kale/vinegar/sesame oil dish,
but it makes sense. Sesame seeds are also typical.

>> Hadn't heard that vinegar might interfere with calcium
>> availability -- that easily could be.

> No, it's the other way: Spinach can block calcium from being
> absorbed, but adding vinegar will release calcium.

Cool.

Steve