Ron has been making Sautéed Kale with Onion Strings for me for a very long time, long before we started gardening. Even before that, he used to make a version of this dish from Cooking Light for his ex-wife Susan, long before we met.
But as most things do, this dish has evolved, and I don’t think that Cooking Light would approve. I believe that the original version of this dish included only two strips of bacon. Well now, that just seems silly. There are only three ingredients in this dish – kale, onions, and BACON. Let there be bacon!
This Sautéed Kale with Onion Strings dish is one of my favorite ways to eat kale. Ron picked the kale moments before he walked into the kitchen to begin preparing the dish, and soon the kitchen smelled heavenly (i.e. bacon-y)!
Prepping the kale is pretty straight-forward. Pick the kale, strip the leaves from the stems, and slice or tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces. Then wash and dry the kale.
Prepping the onions can be more challenging, or it has been a challenge to me in the past when I was acting as Ron’s sous chef. He would prep the kale and ask me to cut the onions into strings. I’d just halve the onion from pole to pole, and then slice the onion into half moons. That seemed right to me. You don’t know what onion strings are? Well, I guess I didn’t know. Not everyone knows what onion strings are, Ron. But now I know, because he finally showed me what he was expecting. He slices across the equator of the onion so that he has a stack of rings, then he cuts just through the radius. I’m not sure that it tastes any better than half moons, but there you have it – how to cut onions into strings!
How to prep the bacon is not in question. You simply dice it into cubes. How much bacon to use – that is the question. You decide!
Sautéed Kale and Onion Strings
Ingredients
- 1 large bunch kale leaves
- 1 large white or sweet onion
- 1/4 pound bacon
- olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prep the Kale – Strip the leaves from the stems, then slice or tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces. Wash and dry the kale.
- Peel and Slice the Onions – Remove both ends of the onion and peel the skin. Slice across the equator of the onion so that you have a stack of rings, then just cut through the radius.
- Crisp the bacon – Dice the bacon, then cook it in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it's very browned and crispy. Remove the bacon bits from the skillet using a slotted spoon, and drain on a paper towel.
- Sauté the onions – Add the onion strings to the bacon fat, and sauté until very soft and almost caramelized.
- Add the kale and cook – Add the kale to the skillet with the onions, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale is soft and compliant.
- Garnish and Serve – Garnish with the bacon bits, and serve.
We added more bacon!