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Well. That is unlikely to happen anytime soon, but last summer's more prolific kale crop did lead to an inspirational new leafy green delivery system in our house: the kale chip. Children eat them by the handful. Adults who swear they dislike kale instantly become converts. It's truly amazing. And so simple!
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Admittedly, fresh-picked garden kale made for much better chips than the pre-washed, chopped and bagged variety I have been buying lately at the store. But the end result is still good.
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To make them, preheat your oven to 425 (you can experiment with the temperature; I don't have a very hot oven so 425 works well for me. At your house, 400 might be perfect). Wash and tear kale leaves from the tough ribs, then rip into smaller pieces. If you're using bagged and chopped kale, simply shake out enough to cover a baking sheet in a single layer. Pour a glug or two of olive oil on the kale and sprinkle a pinch of salt over everything. Roll up your sleeves and massage the oil and salt into the raw kale leaves, just enough to coat, til it's all dark green and shiny. Roast for 5 - 10 minutes, rotating the pan mid-way through. The first time you try this, watch the oven closely after those first five minutes. You want crisp - not blackened - kale chips.
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Pour them into a bowl, put them out after school, and see what happens.
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And if seed catalogs are piling up at your house, consider ordering some kale this year. As long as the bugs leave some for you, you'll have some really fantastic chips on hand to lure all the sworn kale-haters with at the first cookout of the season.
