Spicy Tuscan Kale & Homemade Bread Crumbs

The spicy Tuscan kale is my top pick from Ruth Reichl’s My Kitchen Year for the pantry gourmet challenge at IHCC. There are not one, or two, pantry gourmet items I am using in the Tuscan kale dish, there are three. They are: anchovy, Parmesan cheese and, last, but not least, bread crumbs. Among the three, my pride and joy is the bread crumbs. I make the crumbs from sourdough breads I bake regularly.

Making sourdough bread is a multi-day process, although bread is nothing other than four ingredients: flour, yeast, salt and water, coming together. You always start with refreshing the sourdough starter. Prepare the levain, then mix, ferment, proof and bake the bread dough. I didn’t think I’d become a bread baker several years ago, but here I am. Simply, there is no limit to the challenge in artisanal bread making. That’s precisely the motivating force behind the late nights and early morning rises — just to tend to my bread dough.

Sourdough wheat and rye bread crumbs

To quote M.F.K. Fisher: Breadmaking “is one of those almost hypnotic businesses, like a dance from some ancient ceremony. It leaves you filled with one of the world’s sweetest smells… (and) emptier of bad thoughts than this homely ceremony of making bread.”

I made a whole mason-jar full of bread crumbs from several old loaves of whole wheat and rye sourdough bread. The recipe comes from Ruth Reichl on the same page (p. 17) as the spicy Tuscan kale recipe. I save old bread cubes in the freezer. When there is enough, I blitz them in the Vitamix (dry container) into crumbs. Then spread them out on a baking sheet and toast them in a 350°F oven for about 20 minutes, or until crisp and golden. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. I have to admit these bread crumbs are the best.

The spicy Tuscan kale follows the same script as in the book when it comes to the shopping list and the staples. There is only the lacinato kale to shop for. To simplify my life, I bought a bag of prewashed precut bag of kale from Trader Joe’s.

Blanch the kale in boiling water for a few minutes. Drain and squeeze out all the water. Prepare the anchovy-infused oil and then put in the onions. Cook until they become tender. Finally, toss in the kale and cook until it’s all come together. Now the last step: stir in the Parmesan cheese and my favorite bread crumbs. What can be better?

Print Recipe

Spicy Tuscan Kale and Homemade Bread Crumbs

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 2 large bunches lacinato kale (about 3 pounds)
• 2 large onions
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 anchovy fillets
• pinch of chile flakes
• pepper
• 4 garlic cloves (smashed)
• 1/4 pound parmesan cheese (grated)
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• TO MAKE THE BREAD CRUMBS:
• stale French sourdough or Italian bread
• olive oil
• salt

Instructions

1

Wash the bunches and then strip the leaves off the ribs. Tear the leaves into large pieces and cook them in a pot of boiling salted water for a minute or so. Drain it and run it under cold water until it’s cool enough to comfortably hold in your hands, then squeeze out as much water as you can and set the kale aside.

2

Chop the onions into a casual dice. Heat a healthy splash of olive oil in a large skillet. Put the anchovies in the skillet and press them with a wooden spoon until they’ve completely disintegrated. Add the onions, a few pinches of chile flakes, a few grinds of pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until everything is soft and fragrant. Toss in the kale, along with the garlic, and cook for another 10 minutes or so, until it’s all come together in a lovely green mass.

3

Taste for salt, add a bit more olive oil if you like, and stir in the Parmesan cheese and the crisp bread crumbs for texture.

4

MAKE THE BREAD CRUMBS:

5

Cut bread into cubes and grind it into crumbs in a blender. If your bread is not stale enough to crumb, dry the cubes in a 200°F oven for about 15 minutes before grinding.

6

Spread the crumbs on a baking sheet and toast in a 350°F oven for about 20 minutes until they are crisp and golden. Drizzle with olive oil (about 1/4 cup for every 2 cups of crumbs), season with salt.

7

Allow to cool completely before putting into containers. They will keep in the freezer almost indefinitely. Just stick the crumbs in the microwave for a few seconds to take the chill off before using.

Notes

Adapted from Ruth Reichl's My Kitchen Year