So much kale.  So many boring recipes.  Are you getting as sick of reading my “what to do with kale” posts as I am with finding ways to use it?  I’ve sauteed it with red pepper (that worked great for Tuscan but the Red Russian was tough), made kale gratin (also with the Tuscan), and a garlic-free pesto that I did not bore you with (although it was delicious).  Confronted with another bunch of the slightly tough Red Russian kale to utilize and an ostrich steak purchased from the farmer’s market (every Sunday on Columbus in front of the Museum of Natural History), I decided to make a chimichurri sauce.  After I managed to burn my nostrils from touching the jalapenos, I decided to go light on the garlic.  As always, adjust all ingredients according to your tastes and spice level.  Since there’s plenty extra, serve it as a sauce on top of fish (I like it with halibut), flank steak, chicken or use as a marinade.  You can also put it in eggs or top some bread with it.  It’s so good that any lingering kale hatred should be eradicated.

Kale Chimichurri over Ostrich Steak
Serves 2 with extra Chimichurri.

Ingredients

1 bunch of kale
A handful of parsley
A handful of cilantro
2 cloves of garlic
2 small jalapenos
3 tbsps of red wine vinegar
2 tbsps of olive oil (preferably basil oil)
1 tbsp of lemon juice
A few dashes of crushed red pepper
Salt and pepper

2 Ostrich steaks

Directions

First make the chimichurri.

De-rib the kale and coarsely chop.  Blanch kale.  (I suppose you could omit this step but since I was using the Red Russian, I wanted to soften it some.)  Let cool and squeeze out as much excess water as you can.  Then add to food processor and puree.  Add jalapenos and pulse.  Then add parsley, cilantro, garlic, red pepper, vinegar, oil and lemon juice.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Puree until workable.  Taste and add more oil or lemon juice if needed.  (Note: this is the same as a pesto but with vinegar and no cheese.)

For the steak: preheat grill.  Let steak sit to room temperature.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Grill 3-4 minutes per side over direct heat then let rest.  Spoon sauce over meat.