Last night I taught the thirteenth class of my last ‘food literacy and cooking skills’ series. By the end of May I will have completed 2 sessions – 4 series – 16 weeks of classes. Each group of families has taught me as much as I may have taught them. And last night’s group was no exception.

To vary the experience a bit, I wrote a new menu for the Spring series. (In the future I intend to change the meals with the seasons.) Previously, the first meal was a Bittman recipe of pasta with shredded vegetables. Actually, to be honest, that recipe was not so seasonal, but for my first time doing this I needed some leeway. This time around, the pasta dish could fit the needs of any season here in the NW. Last night families prepared pasta with spicy kale. (Another simple recipe of Mr. Bittman from his masterpiece, How to Cook Everything.)

The beauty of the dish is the simplicity of the preparation. In one pot you make pasta and in another pan you saute garlic and red chili pepper flakes. Throw in some chopped kale and a bit of water and then cover the pan for 5 minutes, till wilted. Once the lid is removed and the remaining water cooks off the kale pan, the pasta is cooked, drained and then thrown in with the kale. With some help in the kitchen or a semi-experienced home cook, you can prepare the kale while the water boils and then cooks the pasta. In 20 minutes it’s all done and it’s super delicious.

I should also mention that the use of kale is totally interchangeable. You could use swiss chard, collard greens or spinach. Hearty leafy veggies would work best because all they have to do is wilt. But you could easily try broccoli or cauliflower if you blanch them in the pasta water first.

In any case, my point is that this meal is relatively simple, while also being affordable, filling and tasty. And yet, last night I hit an interesting road block. Of the ten people present last night, only one had encountered kale before. (I base this comment on what I heard from members of the class and questions I had asked the participants.) The foreign-ness of kale was so strong that many of the families did not know what to do with it. Yes, I was surprised by this. And yet, I was in their same situation but 5 years ago. It’s only in the last 2 years that I learned about kale or swiss chard. This moment shows not only how far I’ve come as a recovering junk food addict, but also how immersed I am in the kale vacuum.

“The Kale Vacuum” : A place or state of mind wherein you assume everyone else can identify, prepare and if desired, consume kale. And let it be known that kale is but a symbol for many other whole foods that are unbeknownst to the average person. Be it kohlrabi, rutabaga, endive or fava beans, etc.

As an educator is this type of classroom, I am learning to assume nothing. At first, I thought families would take the class to improve their cooking skills. It turns out that some attend to experience cooking as a family. Others show up to show their kids what eating healthy looks like. Many arrive with the interest of improving their skills and knowledge base. Few begin the class thinking they will learn critical food literacy.

From my perspective, there are numerous goals of the class, including: food literacy, cooking skills, questioning food marketing, empowering young and old, encouraging kids to cook with their parents, and introducing participants to new techniques, foods and meal options. For all this good intention, there’s something deeply satisfying in knowing that a bunch of kale is a learning experience unto itself. Though I may remain in the kale vacuum for some time, I do hope to expand its holding capacity with each new set of families who complete my class. That’s a goal that I can surely live with.

Related posts:

1. A Successful Cooking Class
2. Session 1 Complete!
3. Simple, healthy and delicious
4. The Last Dance with Kale (weekly menu 27)
5. Culinary Math

Tags: cooking, education, food literacy, Mark Bittman, Recipes, seasonal eating