Kale Chips wont't be everyone's favourite.

Like karela, it's an acquired taste that builds over time.

Belonging to the over-pungent, odiferous cruciferous vegetable family -- bhai-behen to cabbage, radish, bokchoy -- kale has a strong taste that is addictive. A winter vegetable, plenty of curly leafed kale is around this season.

When carefully roasted in the oven, as per Zelda Pande's recipe, kale leaves are magically transformed into a crunchy, nutritious snack or side to a meal.

Kale Chips

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients

• 250 gm fresh kale leaves, keep stalks
• 1-2 tsp salt, preferably sea salt
• 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil + 2 tsp for greasing the trays
• 2 baking trays

For the seasoning, optional

• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp grated cheese
• 2 tbsp roasted pine nuts
• 1 tsp or less red chilly powder

Method

• Line each of the baking trays with aluminium foil and grease the top of the foil of each tray with 1 tsp olive oil.
• Divide the washed, dried kale leaves between both trays.
  Sprinkle the olive oil, salt on the leaves and toss till well coated.
• Bake in a 180°C oven for 15-20 minutes and using tongs flip the leaves.
  Bake again for another 15-20 minutes till leaves lose bright green colour, have darkened and turned crispy.
  The final crispiness can be achieved by grilling in the oven for an additional 5 minutes, but do not burn the leaves.
  Cool.
• The crisped leaves can be served as is and the stalks discarded as you eat. Or using scissors trim the leaves off the stalks and serve the leaves in a bowl.
• If additional seasoning is preferred -- although crisp kale tastes just great seasoned with only salt -- opt to sprinkle the crisp leaves with lemon juice and/or grated cheese (preferably Parmesan) and/or pine nuts and/or chilly powder.

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