As I was typing this post, I have realised that this meal is a combination of two side dishes!
For the purpose of this post, let’s pretend that it’s okay to have two side dishes as a tasty main meal okay?
This post is quite special because there is a new ingredient which I have not featured before on my blog.
This hybrid vegetable is called kalette in Australia. I have seen some American food bloggers called it kale sprout and it is also known as flower sprouts in the UK.
It is a fusion of red kale and brussel sprouts. I think kalette has the best traits of both kale and brussels sprouts, e.g. the nuttiness and texture from kale and the miniature size from the brussel sprouts. This vegetable is grown in Adelaide Hills and is being sold exclusively through Coles.
(Photo credit: www.kalettes.com)
There are many ways you can cook kalettes such as sautéed, roasted, grilled or eaten raw. So far I have only tried sauteing as it is my preferred way of cooking vegetables in general.
As I was cooking kalettes as a main meal, I tried to introduce other complimentary ingredients to make my kale-averse beloved be more open to the idea of kalette. 😉
The surefire way? Chorizo, of course! If you don’t have chorizo, bacon will work equally well too. As this recipe does not have a lot sauce, I added mushrooms as the moisture factor for the dish. Plus, I love how mushrooms can absorb the flavours from ingredients next to them and bring the dish together!
To transform the pan-fried kalette and chorizo into a hearty meal, I made creamy mashed potatoes to go with it. If you want a lighter option, substitute mashed potato with cooked quinoa.
Ingredients
- 800g potatoes, washed, peeled & diced about an inch sized cubes
- 1/3 cup warm milk
- 1 heaped tablespoon butter
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Olive oil
- 1 chorizo, sliced
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 8 white button mushrooms, sliced
- 160g (5 ounces) kalettes, sliced lenghwise
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place diced potatoes in microwave-safe dish, covered.
- Microwave on HIGH 8 minutes or until potatoes are done.
- Transfer potatoes to a large bowl. Add milk, butter, salt and pepper. Mash with a potato masher until reaching desired consistency. Keep warm while you move on to prepare the pan-fried kalettes.
- On a non-stick pan, add olive oil. When the olive oil is hot, cook the chorizo over low heat until both sides become lightly blistered.
- In the same pan add garlic. Saute over low heat until aromatic. Add more oil should the mixture appear to be dry.
- Add mushrooms and saute for half a minute over low-medium heat.
- Add kalettes and stir to combine with the ingredients and cook over medium heat. Add two tablespoons of water to help cooking the kalettes.
- When the kalettes have turned slightly bright green and slightly tender, season with salt pepper.
- Divide the mash potato into four bowls and topped with pan-fried kalettes. Enjoy!
oh my gosh! i never knew there was such a thing as kalettes – this dish looks fabulous!
Thanks Thalia! It was a great find I must say. 🙂 I was growing tired of the usual broccoli and bok choy and it’s nice to welcome a new veg to the family ha!