Moby Dick

Something has been haunting me. Taunting me. It is my very own Great White Whale.

It is ..... Moby Dick.

Also known as....Kale Chips. I have been watching this little beast making its way around the internet for months.

I’ll try it...I won’t try it.

This blogger loves them..... the next one hates them.

Back and forth with this struggle I go. Riding the waves of this culinary ocean....well, its been making me a bit seasick.

And so, one fateful day in eastern Iowa, I found a beautiful bunch of flat leaf kale (although some recipes call for curly) and I made a decision. No more Moby Dick. The time is now.

We reeled in the lovely kale and drove it to its doom.... Ginny’s kitchen.

I cut the thick stems out of the leaves.

I brushed them on both sides with olive oil.

I seasoned them with salt and pepper, and a little chipotle powder.

I laid them on sheet pans in a single layer.

And we baked them until crisp.

Don’t be fooled by the dark spots on the leaves, they aren’t burnt. We watched the leaves dutifully to make sure they cooked to a crisp without burning or leaving chewy spots.

And then... the moment of truth. I had no expectations at all. I had heard so many conflicting reports. I’d been chasing the myth....the beast.... Moby Dick himself..... for so long that I didn’t know how to feel when I finally caught up with him.

And so.... I bit him.

And you know.... he was kind of tasty. I’m not going to lie to you and say this is a taste treat I’ll crave. But they were interesting. A salty, crispy flake that almost disappears in your mouth. I didn’t love it, I didn’t hate it. But, I would eat it again. I think they’d be fun to put out for a party. Just a little bit of flavor to warm your tsste buds up. And they’d probably be healthy, if it wasn’t for all the oil I brushed on them. All of us that tried them were in agreement. They were interesting, but nothing to really write a book about.

And so, in the end, the Great While Whale is no more. I am free of its lure, once and for all.