Långkål (Creamed Kale)

Creamy, delicious and not to mention nutritious, this lovely side dish is perfect with just about any kind of meat – from sausages to roasts and everything in between. You’ll want to make it outside of the holiday season so give it a try!

Ingredients

• 600 g kale leaves fresh, not frozen
• 1 tsp salt for boiling +more to season to taste
• 1 l cooking liquid from ham ham stock or water
• 50 g butter
• 180 ml whipping cream
• white pepper freshly ground, to taste
• ¼ tsp ground mace optional

Instructions

• Wash and drain the kale well and cut off or tear away the tough stems.
• Chop the leaves coarsely and place them in a large saucepan. Add 1 teaspoon of salt on top and pour in enough water to just about cover the kale.
• Bring to a boil and simmer to cook the kale for about 2-3 minutes. Drain away the water, squeezing the excess water from the leaves lightly.
• Now pour in your ham stock or water and bring to a boil once again. Turn the heat down to medium-low and cook for 10 – 15 minutes until tender. Stir regularly.
• Once cooked, drain once again, squeezing the kale carefully.
• If you plan to finish the recipe later this is the point when you want to cover it with film and place it in the fridge.
• To finish up the recipe now, melt the butter in a pan and add the kale. Fry it for a couple of minutes, stirring thoroughly then pour in the 3/4 cup cream in the pan. Let it cook for 5 minutes or so.
• Taste the creamed kale and adjust the seasoning with more salt and pepper if necessary.
• Simmer for a further 5 minutes.
• Turn off the heat and enjoy the långkål while piping hot!

Notes

• Ideally långkål should be made using the cooking liquid from the ham, but it can be made using just water or ham stock made using a bouillon cube.
• Don’t be tempted to replace the cream with milk and flour as it really doesn’t taste as good, even if it might be healthier.
• Some Swedes like to add a tablespoon or two of sugar and a touch of mace. After the kale has been simmering in the cream for about 5 minutes, have a taste and then, if you like, add some sugar and mace if you think it would improve the dish.