Sometimes, I buy food magazines and am instantly smitten by a photo or recipe and know that I have to try it for myself. Magazine recipes have become much more “real” in the past decade or so, and they do seem to be incredibly well-tested for the most part. There are still some supreme fails, in my opinion, but I have also made some terrific dishes based on things I spied flipping through the pages of magazines. This is one such dish. It was utterly delicious, incredibly simple to make, and best of all, I had the most amazing tuscan kale (small tender and amazing fresh and organic leaves) from Gejo of Malipayon Farms who had brought them just hours before.
I have vowed to eat more veggies and natural grains this year; I already like vegetables, but realize I need to eat more of them whenever possible. So each week or so I try out a new dish or two, in addition to ramping up portions of old favorites. This one takes canned barley which are cooked and cooled before adding some chopped kale, as well as a kale pesto made with olive oil and fresh lemon juice. Some golden raisins add sweetness and the pine nuts a touch of crunch, protein and richness. The recipe is here. If you like kale and interested in using it in new ways, this recipe was delicious and easy to do.
We had this salad with some quick broiled double lamb chops. I didn’t say I was ONLY going to eat veggies, just that I was going to eat more of them. The combination of lamb and kale salad was a nice one.
Then the evil sets in. A square (the first of two) of homemade “Brunn” butter cake made with canned butter and some freshly made rhubarb compote and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. If I had cut out this last part of the meal it would have been relatively good. If I had cut out the lamb, even better. But you know me. Inevitable lenten season diet coming up… :)
7 Responses
Amazing that your dish looks exactly like the magazine photo. Only thing missing is a fork with wooden handles.
I see little black dots in your vanilla ice cream which means it was made with real vanilla and isn’t the mass produced variety. Where did you get it?
Ami, I think it was some Haagen-Daz that guests that evening brought with them…
Recent studies show, eating 30% fiber daily will make one lose weight faster.. MORE kale!!!!
very beautiful plating..almmost identical to the mag cover! and i can almost smell the lemon from here. i’ve been ooking for ways to use barley other than soup, so here’s a definite must-try. thanks, MM.
What brand of butter do you use to substitute for Brunn Butter? Is that the one in the red can?
Chinky, yup, the red can. :)
looks so good! how were the lamb chops seasoned? and did you buy them as double chops or did you do it yourself?
speaking of butter cake, there’s a ceviche place near heritage park that has this fantastic butter cake cheese dessert. so so good.