Tue 3 Nov 2009
Falling | Kale and Sweet Corn
Posted by Bria under Main Dishes, Side Dishes, Vegetables
October was a powerful month. It managed to pull the perpetually sunny southern California into semi-submission to its wiles. During our 12-day visit to the east coast in the middle of the month, something here changed. Upon our return, it was as though a switch had been flipped. Suddenly it was dark for the first four snooze cycles of my alarm clock. My drive home was cloaked in navy velveteen, the sky betraying its last few gasps of mauve behind inky silhouettes of palm trees that keep watch over Sunset Boulevard. Though warm and golden during the day, dawn and dusk decidedly fell prey to the seductive, autumnal call of October.
I can’t blame them. Even in temperate zones, fall is cotton-clad warmth. Fall is cozy. Fall is a gilded, tender embrace before the year tumbles swiftly and rambunctiously into oblivion. However fleeting it may be, fall is a lovely time of year.
As I bid adieu to summer’s berry-laden bounty each year, I am quickly comforted by the sweet, earthy delights of squash and wintry greens. Enter kale, and its acerbic wit. Growing up, I enjoyed heaps of kale in a delicate beef stew, speckled at the last minute with a beaten egg. Its stiffly leafed fortitude is no match for heat; no matter how many leaves you add to the stew, it always seems to accommodate them.
Though I had planned to braise a bunch of kale with cauliflower and beans last week, I couldn’t resist tossing a few leaves into a blistering hot pan with garlic and the last ears of the summer’s sweet corn. I made this for myself one night when I was home alone, fully intending it to complement some leftover chicken but never making it that far. The back-arching tang of the lemon joins with a bit of sea salt to goad the vegetables into asskicking mode. Pay attention, they seem to say, this is going to knock your socks off. Hang on tight and keep another pair of socks handy; November is here, and it isn’t messing around, either.
Kale and Sweet Corn
Serves one – can easily be doubled as needed
Inspired by Molly Wizenberg, Bon Appétit October 2009
Enjoy as a hearty side dish, or as a very light entree on a day when you’ve had too much lunch
Ingredients
1 T olive oil
2 large kale leaves
1 ear of fresh corn
2 cloves of garlic, sliced thin
Half a lemon
Sea salt
Fresh pepper
Rundown
- Clean and cook corn
- Trim and dry kale
- Heat olive oil
- Add garlic
- Sear kale
- Cut corn
- Toss corn, kale, lemon, salt, pepper off heat
Shuck the corn, taking care to clean off all the silk. Place the corn in a large pot and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil over high heat – when the water is boiling, the corn is done. Drain the water and set the corn aside to cool just enough for you to handle it.
Rinse the kale and pat the leaves dry with paper towels. Fold each leaf in half so the center rib is exposed along one side. Using a sharp knife, cut along the rib to excise the bulk of it from the leaf. You won’t cut all the way to the top of the leaf; just as far up as you need to cut to remove the bulky part of the rib that you don’t want to eat. Discard the ribs and chop the remaining leafy bits into 1”- wide strips.
Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. About a minute after the oil is really shimmering, add the garlic. Wait a moment, then add the kale. It will crackle and snap, but the spatter should be minimal so long as the kale is relatively dry. You will see it transform quickly, from dusty green to intense forest. Quickly stir a few times with a spatula until the color has uniformly changed. Remove from heat.
Cut the corn from the cob with a sharp knife and scoot the cut corn into a bowl. Add the kale and garlic. Give the lemon a generous squeeze over the bowl, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss with a fork to combine. Eat immediately.
Looking at this objectively the editorial quality is hard to deny even setting aside personal taste, and a stop at grippalace maintained the same objective quality, the gap between what I personally enjoy and what is objectively well crafted exists and this site clears both bars simultaneously which is rarer than it sounds.
Quality you can feel from the first paragraph, the writer clearly knows the topic and how to share it, and a quick look at ideasintoexecution confirmed the same depth runs throughout the rest of the site as well which is rare and worth pointing out when it happens online for any reader passing through.
Now appreciating that the post did not require me to agree with the writer to find it valuable, and a look at zingtorch maintained the same useful regardless of agreement quality, content that informs even when it does not convince is content with broader utility and this site reads as useful even when I disagree.
Will share this on a forum I am part of where it will be appreciated by others working in the same area, and a look at fernbureaus suggests there is more here worth passing along too, definitely a generous resource that deserves a wider audience than it probably has today across the open internet.
Just researching this unique topic and your take on blouse styles are incredible.
Appreciate the insight!
Probably one of the more reliable sources I have found for this kind of careful coverage, and a look at driftfair reinforced the reliability, the small group of sources I would describe as reliable for a given topic is curated carefully and this site has earned a place in that small group through consistent performance.
Will be passing this along to a few people who would benefit from the perspective shared here, and a stop at findyourclearpath only added to what I will be sharing, this kind of generous content deserves to circulate widely rather than getting buried in some search engine algorithm tweak that pushes it down the rankings.
A piece that did not require external context to follow, and a look at fernpier maintained the same self contained quality, content that stands alone without forcing readers to chase prerequisites is more accessible and this site has clearly thought about how each piece can serve a fresh visitor rather than only existing members.
Closed three other tabs to focus on this one and never opened them again, and a stop at explorefuturepathways similarly held attention exclusively, content that crowds out other reading from working memory is content with real density and this site has demonstrated that density across multiple pages I have visited so far this morning.
Probably going to mention this site in a write up I am working on later this month, and a stop at createactionforward provided more material for that potential mention, content worth referencing in my own published work rather than just personal reading is content with the highest endorsement level and this site has earned that endorsement.
Worth recommending broadly to anyone who reads on the topic, and a look at ideasworthmoving only confirms that, the rare combination of accessibility and depth in this site makes it suitable for both newcomers and people who already know the area which is hard to pull off in any blog format today and rarely managed.
Worth bookmarking and sharing with anyone interested in the topic, that is my honest take, and a stop at ideasintoresults reinforces that, the kind of generous resource that makes the open web feel worth defending against the constant pressure to retreat into walled gardens and curated feeds today everywhere I look across all my devices.
Found a small mental shift after reading this, the framing here is just a bit different from the standard takes online, and a look at explorebetterthinking extended that fresh perspective across more material, the rare site whose voice actually changes how you think about something rather than just confirming existing beliefs.
Felt like the post had been edited rather than just drafted and published, and a stop at fairfinch suggested the same care across the site, the difference between edited and unedited content is enormous for the reader and this site has clearly invested in the editing pass that most blogs skip entirely which really does show up.
Quietly the post solved something I had been turning over without quite knowing how to phrase the question, and a look at knackgrove extended that quiet solving, content that addresses unformulated needs is content with reader insight and this site has demonstrated that insight at a high rate across the pieces I have read recently.
Most of the time I bounce off similar pages within seconds, and a stop at buildclaritydrivenmomentum held me longer than I would have predicted, the ability to convert a likely bouncing visitor into an engaged reader is a quality signal and this site has demonstrated that conversion ability across multiple visits where I expected to bounce.
A small thank you note from me to the team behind this work, the post earned it, and a stop at jetdomes suggested more thanks would be in order over time, recognising the people who do good writing online is something I try to remember to do because the alternative is silence and silence rewards mediocrity unfortunately.
Comfortable reading experience throughout, no jarring tone shifts and no awkward formatting, and a look at coppercrown kept that smooth feel going, the kind of editorial polish that goes unnoticed when present but glaring when absent is something this site has clearly invested in across the broader content as well which deserves recognition.
Reading this in a quiet hour and finding it suited the quiet, and a stop at fernpiers extended the quiet reading mood, content that matches its own optimal reading conditions rather than fighting them is content that has been thoughtfully calibrated and this site reads as having a particular reading mood in mind throughout.
Solid recommendation from me to anyone working in the area, the perspective here is grounded, and a look at focusdrivenmomentum adds even more useful angles, the kind of site that becomes a reference rather than just a one time read which is a higher bar than most blogs ever reach today on the modern web.
Closed the laptop after this and let the ideas settle for a few hours, and a stop at portmill similarly rewarded reflective time, content that benefits from sitting with rather than racing past is the kind I want more of and the kind that this site appears to consistently produce week after week here.
Thanks for the breakdown, it gave me a clearer picture of something I had been confused about for a while now, and a stop at loopbough closed the remaining gaps in my understanding nicely, no need to hunt around twenty other articles to put the pieces together which is a real time saver.
Came back to this twice now in the same week which is unusual for me, and a look at grovefarm suggested I will keep coming back, the kind of post that earns repeated visits rather than one and done reading is the gold standard for content quality and this site clearly hit that standard.
After reading several posts back to back the consistent voice across them is impressive, and a stop at startmovingforward continued that voice consistency, sites that maintain a single coherent voice across many pieces by potentially many writers represent serious editorial discipline and this one has clearly developed the institutional consistency needed for that.
Liked that the post acknowledged complications rather than pretending they did not exist, and a stop at createimpactplanningnow continued that honest framing, sites that handle complexity with care rather than papering it over with simplifying claims are doing real intellectual work and this one is clearly in that category based on what I have read.
Comfortable read, finished it without realising how much time had passed, and a look at executeideasclean pulled me into more pages the same way, the absence of friction in good content lets time disappear and that is one of the highest compliments I can pay any piece of writing I find online during a regular search session.
Now feeling that this site is the kind I want to make sure does not disappear, and a look at duetparishs reinforced that quiet protective feeling, the rare sites whose disappearance would actually matter to me are the sites I want to support through return visits and recommendations and this one has joined that small protected list.
Granted I am giving this site more credit than I usually give new finds, and a look at zingtrace continued earning that credit, the calibration of how much trust to extend after limited exposure is something I do carefully and this site has earned more trust on shorter exposure than most due to consistent quality across.
Bookmarked the page and the homepage too because clearly there is more to explore here, and a quick stop at firminlet only made that more obvious, this is the kind of place I want to dig through over a weekend rather than rushing through during a coffee break tomorrow morning before getting back to work.
Excellent post, balanced and well organised without showing off, and a stop at duetcoast continued in that same vein, this site has clearly figured out the formula for content that works for readers rather than for search engine ranking signals which is harder than it sounds today and worth real recognition from anyone.
Skipped the TLDR thinking I would read everything anyway, and ended up enjoying the path through the full post, and a stop at salemsolid similarly rewarded the patient read, summaries are useful but the journey through good writing is part of what makes the destination feel earned rather than just delivered cleanly.
Quality work here, the post reads cleanly and the points stay focused throughout, and a stop at findyourcorepurpose kept the standard high, you can tell the writer cares about the final result rather than just hitting publish for the sake of having something new on the page to feed the search engines.
Thanks for keeping the writing direct without losing the warmth that makes content feel human, and a stop at simplifyyourprogress carried both qualities forward, balancing professionalism and personality is a rare skill and the writers here have clearly figured out how to consistently land it across many posts which I notice.
Granted my mood today might be elevating my reading experience but I still think this is genuinely good, and a stop at falconfern reinforced that even discounted assessment, controlling for the mood adjustment that affects content perception this site still reads as substantively above average across multiple pieces I have read carefully today.
Nice to see a post that does not try to overcomplicate the basics for the sake of looking smart, and once I looked at explorefreshopportunities the same direct tone was there too, which honestly makes a difference when you are short on time and want answers without long pointless intros.
Reading this prompted me to dig out an old reference book related to the topic, and a stop at knackdomes extended that connection to other sources, content that connects me back to my own existing knowledge rather than asking me to forget it is content with continuity and this site has that continuous quality.
The way the post stayed on topic throughout without going on tangents was really refreshing, and a look at seogrove kept that focused approach going, discipline like this in writing is rare and worth recognising because most writers cannot resist wandering off into related subjects that dilute their main point and confuse readers along the way.
Now setting aside time on my next free afternoon to read more from the archives, and a stop at portolive confirmed that time will be well spent, the rare site whose archive deserves a dedicated reading session rather than just casual sampling is the kind of resource worth scheduling around and this one qualifies clearly.
Most posts I read end up forgotten within a day but this one is sticking, and a look at lunacourt extended that lingering effect, content that survives the immediate moment of reading rather than evaporating is content with genuine retention quality and this site has been producing memorable pieces at a rate notable across my reading.
The post made the topic feel approachable without making it feel trivial, that is a fine balance, and a stop at grovequay maintained the same balance, finding the middle ground between welcoming and serious is genuinely difficult and the writers here have clearly figured out how to consistently hit it well across many different posts.
Will be sharing this with a couple of people who care about the topic, and a stop at progressbuiltcarefully added more material worth passing along, the kind of site that is generous with quality content and does not make you jump through hoops to access it which is appreciated more than the team probably realises.
Picked this for my morning read because the topic seemed worth the time, and a look at bravopiers confirmed the choice was right, my morning reading slot is precious and giving it to this site felt like a good investment rather than a waste which is a higher endorsement than I usually offer for content.
Now planning to share the link with a small group of readers I trust, and a look at clarityfuelsgrowth suggested more material to share with the same group, recommending content into a curated circle requires confidence in the recommendation and this site is making me confident in those personal recommendations on multiple separate occasions now.
A memorable post for me on a topic I had thought I was tired of, and a look at createimpactsteps suggested the same site can refresh other tired topics, sites that can revive my interest in subjects I had written off as exhausted are doing rare work and this one is clearly doing that for me today.
Really appreciate the confidence to make a clear point rather than hedging everything, and a quick visit to grippalaces maintained the same direct stance, writing that takes positions rather than equivocating is more useful even when the positions are debatable because at least the reader has something to react to clearly.
Reading this prompted me to dig into a related topic later, and a stop at flareaisle provided some of the starting points for that follow up reading, content that triggers further exploration rather than satisfying curiosity completely is content with real generative energy and this site has plenty of that energy throughout it.
Took the time to read every paragraph rather than skimming for the punchline, and a quick visit to startbuildingdirection earned the same careful attention from me, that is the highest signal I can give about content quality because my default mode is rapid scanning rather than deliberate reading on most pages.
Worth saying that the post fit naturally into a rhythm of careful reading, and a stop at unlockclaritytoday extended the same rhythm, content that pairs well with how I actually read rather than demanding a different mode is content well calibrated to its likely audience and this site has clearly thought about that consistently.
A thoughtful read in a week that has been mostly noisy, and a look at quillglade carried that thoughtful quality across more pages, finding pockets of considered writing in a week of distractions is one of the small wins of careful curation and this site is providing those pockets at a sustainable rate.
Now adding this to a short list of sites I would defend in a conversation about the modern web, and a look at explorefreshstrategies reinforced that defence list, the few sites that serve as evidence the web can still produce good things are precious and this one has clearly joined that small list of exemplary sites.