I love kale.  It is such a versatile, nutrient-dense and hearty green.  I grow it in my garden every year.  This year I started some seedlings in a cold frame that I built back in February.  They were slow to take off with the gray, cold days.  Just this past week though, the little plants have shot up.  This evening I picked my first handful of delicate new leaves.

As I said, I love kale.  My family maybe doesn’t always feel the same way about it.  It’s a challenge for me to find ways to use it that appeal to my husband’s tastes.  Today I got an idea to make some crostini with it.  Here’s what I did:

First, I cut up a Hillshire Farm Chicken Apple Sausage and browned in in a pan with a little olive oil.

While that cooked, I drizzled olive oil on both sides of four thick slices of my homemade bread. and put them under the broiler.  It’s very important to watch your bread closely.  You might now want to multi-task this part.  I almost burnt mine trying to do the sausage and the bread together.  When one side of the toast gets brown, flip it over and do the other side.  Remove from the oven and set aside.

Next I took about a cup of whole milk ricotta and squeezed a half a lemon into it.  A bit of salt and pepper to season it, and mix until smooth.  Set that aside too.

When the sausage was browned, I threw in the handful of kale leaves, roughly chopped, and four garlic cloves, sliced.  I cooked on low, stirring constantly, until the kale wilted and the garlic softened.  Lastly, I seasoned with salt and pepper and a dash of red pepper flakes.

Now, to put it all together –

Spread your toasted bread on a serving plate.  Doesn’t it look delicious, just like that?!

Spread a large spoonful of the ricotta on each piece of bread then heap the sausage and kale mixture on top.  Serve warm.

I’m proud to say my husband gobbled these up!  I mean, really, who wouldn’t?  The ricotta is light and lemony and the sausage, kale and garlic on top feels hearty and filling.  The contrast is perfect.

What’s your favorite kale recipe?