Ingredientes:
1 maço de couve
Alho e sal
Azeite de oliva
Modo de fazer:
Tirar os talos e cortar as folhas de couve enroladas feito charuto em tiras finas.
Esquentar o azeite numa frigideira e refogar a couve com o alho e sal até a couve ficar macia. Alguns preferem a couve crocante.
Segundo a Wikipedia, a Couve é uma forma de repolho (
Brassica oleracea Acephala Group), no qual as folhas centrais não formam a típica cabeça do repolho. Está mais próxima, em termos genéticos, do repolho selvagem do que das formas domesticadas. A espécie Brassica oleracea contem uma variedade de vegetais que inclui o
brócolis, a couve-flor e a couve de bruxelas.
A couve é considerada um vegetal altamente nutritivo com poderosas propriedades antioxidantes e anti-inflamatórias. Apresenta teores elevados de
beta caroteno,
vitamina K,
vitamina C,
lutein,
zeaxanthin e é razoavelmente rica em cálcio.
A couve, bem como o brócolis e outras
brassicas, contem
sulforaphane (particularmente quando picadas), um químico que se acredita ter potente propriedade anti-cancer.
Origem
Até ao final da Idade Média, a couve constituia a verdura mais utilizada na
Europa. Variedades crespas ou mais lisas já eram consumidas na
Grécia, no
século IV a.C. Estas, já referidas pelos antigos
Romanos como couve sabeliana, são consideradas as formas ancestrais das couves atuais. Hoje podemos diferenciá-las de acordo com o comprimento do
caule e pelas características das
folhas. A cor das folhas varia do verde claro, verde-escuro, verde-violáceo ou castanho-violeta.
Durante a Segunda Guerra Mundial, o cultivo de couve na Grâ Bretanha foi encorajado pela campanha do
Dig for Victory. Isto porque o vegetal tem crescimento fácil e fornece importantes nutrientes capazes de suplementar a dieta em tempos de racionamento de alimentos.
A
couve-chinesa-kairan, que é um tipo de cultivar diferenciado de Brassica oleracea, muito usada na cozinha chinesa, é contudo muito semelhante em aparência.
Uso culinário
Nos Países Baixos a couve é frequentemente usada no prato de inverno
stamppot e em um dos pratos tradicionais, chamado Boerenkool.
Na Irlanda a couve é misturada ao purê de batata para fazer o prato tradicional
colcannon. Apesar do colcannon ser raramente comido na Irlanda moderna, é muito popular no
Halloween, sendo servido com linguiça.
Uma sopa tradicional portuguesa,
caldo verde, combina batata, couve picada, azeite de oliva, caldo e geralmente lingüiça ou paio. A couve é muito popular no Brasil, sendo usada no caldo verde, como prato vegetal ou cozida com carne seca. Quando picada e refogada, a couve acompanha o prato nacional do Brasil, a
feijoada.
A couve é comida através do sudeste da África, fervida com leite de coco e amendoim ralado e servida com arroz ou pirão de farinha de milho.
Toda uma cultura relacionada com a couve foi desenvolvida no noroeste da Alemanha, nas cidades de
Bremen e
Oldenburg, bem como no Estado de
Schleswig-Holstein. Os restaurantes locais fazem as "Grünkohlfahrt", principalmente em janeiro, onde se consome grandes quantidades de couve, salsichas e
schnapps. Em muitas comunidades da região existem festivais anuais em que se elege, inclusive, o "rei das couves".
English version: Kale Stir-Fry in Olive Oil
Ingredients:
1 bunche of kale
Garlic and salt
Olive oil
How to make:
Kale leaves, tough stems and center ribs cut off and discarded. Stack a few kale leaves and roll lengthwise into a cigar shape. Cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-wide strips with a sharp knife. Heat olive oil in a fry pan and stir-fry kale with garlic and salt, until kale is tender (if prefer, until kale is crunch)
According Wikipedia Kale or borecole is a form of
cabbage (
Brassica oleracea Acephala Group), in which the central leaves do not form a head. It is considered to be closer to wild cabbage than most domesticated forms. The species Brassica oleracea contains a wide array of vegetables including
broccoli,
cauliflower,
collard greens, and
brussels sprouts. The Acephala Group also includes
spring greens and
collard greens, which are extremely similar genetically.
Kale is considered to be a highly nutritious vegetable with powerful antioxidant properties and is anti-inflammatory.
Kale is very high in
beta carotene,
vitamin K,
vitamin C,
lutein,
zeaxanthin, and reasonably rich in
calcium. Because of its high vitamin K content, patients taking
anti-coagulants such as
warfarin are encouraged to avoid this food since it increases the vitamin K concentration in the blood, which is what the drugs are often attempting to lower.
Kale, as with
broccoli and other
brassicas, contains
sulforaphane (particularly when chopped or minced), a chemical believed to have potent anti-cancer properties.
Origins
Until the end of the
Middle Ages, kale was one of the most common green vegetables in all of Europe. Curly leafed varieties of cabbage already existed along with flat leafed varieties in
Greece in the fourth century BC. These forms, which were referred to by the
Romans as Sabellian kale, are considered to be the ancestors of modern kales. Today one may differentiate between varieties according to the low, intermediate, or high length of the stem, with varying leaf types. The leaf colours range from light green through green, dark green and violet-green to violet-brown.
During
World War II, the cultivation of kale in the U.K. was encouraged by the
Dig for Victory campaign. The vegetable was easy to grow and provided important nutrients to supplement those missing from a normal diet because of
rationing.
Kai-lan, a separate cultivar of Brassica oleracea much used in Chinese cuisine, is somewhat similar to kale in appearance and is occasionally called "kale" in English.
Culinary uses:
In
the Netherlands it is very frequently used in the winter dish
stamppot and seen as one of the country's traditional dishes, called Boerenkool.
In
Ireland kale is mixed with mashed potatoes to make the traditional dish
colcannon. Although colcannon is rarely eaten in modern Ireland, it is still popular on
Halloween when it is served with sausages. Small coins are often hidden inside as prizes.
A traditional
Portuguese soup,
caldo verde, combines pureed
potatoes, diced kale,
olive oil, broth, and, generally, sliced cooked spicy
sausage. Under the name of couve, kale is also popular in
Brazil, in caldo verde, or as a vegetable dish, often cooked with carne seca (shredded dried
beef). When chopped and stir-fried, couve accompanies Brazil's national dish,
feijoada.
Kale is eaten throughout southeastern Africa, typically boiled with coconut milk and ground peanut and served with rice or boiled cornmeal.
A whole culture around kale has developed in north-western
Germany around the towns of
Bremen and
Oldenburg as well as in the State of
Schleswig-Holstein. There, most social clubs of any kind will have a Grünkohlfahrt ("kale tour") sometime in January, visiting a country
inn to consume large quantities of kale, sausage and
schnapps. Most communities in the area have a yearly kale festival which includes naming a "kale king". Curly kale is used in
Denmark and
Halland,
Sweden, to make (grøn-)
langkål, an obligatory dish on the
julbord in the region, and is commonly served together with the
Christmas ham (Sweden, Halland). The kale is used to make a stew of minced boiled kale, stock, cream, pepper and salt that is simmered together slowly for a few hours. In Scotland, kale provided such a base for a traditional diet that the word in dialect Scots is synonymous with food. To be "off one's kail" is to feel too ill to eat.
