Braised Kale with White Beans and Turnips

My family tree is sorely lacking when it comes to Southern roots. I can count on one hand the number of times I have eaten fried chicken and cannot remember my mother ever using hot oil to cook anything beyond taco shells. Gumbo, grits, greens, all of these words were foreign to me- as strange sounding as tempeh, tataki, or even tamari.

Then one day I decided to grow swiss chard. It was an impulse really. Who could resist a flat of rainbow stemmed seedlings with deep green leaves? To say that the chard was happy in our little garden is an understatement. It multiplied like overeager rabbits and we had arm loads of the stuff. Now what does this have to do with braised kale? Well, chard became my gateway green. In my desperate attempts to work through the abundance of chard I recalled something about Southerners braising greens and decided to give it a try. The chard proved to be too delicate for braising (it got mushy fast) yet once I tasted the creamy tang of the braising liquid I was hooked. I found myself searching for kale, collard greens, and turnip greens at the grocery store and eagerly bringing them home.

With each attempt at braising greens, my love for this Southern dish has grown. It is pure comfort food in a bowl without all of the heavy calorie-laden meat and fat that one often finds in a bowl of comfort. The addition of white beans, a little bacon, and tender turnips quickly turns this into a one pot meal. The entire dish cooks in 30 minutes making it perfect for an easy weeknight dinner. Combined with slices of crusty bread to sop up the liquid it is a hearty winter meal that will leave you hooked on greens for good. And like most braised dishes- leftovers taste even better the second day!


Braised Kale with White Beans and Turnips (Printable Recipe)
Inspired by Elise's Beet Greens Recipe
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons of Grapeseed Oil (or olive oil)
4 strips Bacon, cut into 1" pieces
1 large onion, diced (about 2 cups)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 lbs Turnips (preferably small white Tokyo Turnips), ends and tops trimmed off
3 cups Chicken broth
1/8 - 1/4 cup Apple cider vinegar (adjust to taste)
2 cups cooked White Beans (I used Mayacoba beans)
2 large bundles of Kale, washed, stems discarded, and leaves roughly chopped
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1 lemon, juiced
Salt and Pepper

Directions:

Place a large heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the bacon strips to the pot and cook until the fat is rendered and the bacon is lightly browned. Add the onion, garlic, and turnips to the pot. Stir and cook until the vegetables are softened and beginning to turn brown on the edges. Pour the chicken broth and apple cider vinegar into the pot, and stir while scraping the bottom to deglaze and browned bits stuck to the pot. Next add the beans and kale (pressing down on the kale if it threatens to overflow the pot). Cover the pot with a lid and reduce the heat to medium-low. Braise the kale for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the leaves are tender and wilted and the turnips are cooked through.

Once the kale is tender, remove the lid and add in the sugar, hot sauce, and lemon juice. Stir and taste the liquid. Add salt, pepper, and apple cider vinegar, until the flavors are to your liking. Turn off the heat and serve the braised kale with slices of thick crusty bread to sop up the liquid.