Is there a mother alive who has not repeated the phrase “Eat your greens” on a semi regular basis?
There is a time of year for it, when the cold of autumn is creeping through the cracks and nobody can quite agree on whether the heating needs to be turned on.
Down here in the Southern Hemisphere, that time is now.
Last weekend, being a pottering sort of a weekend, I was determined to find a recipe that made those greens something that the children would fight over.
I based the meal on the simple (but winning) combination of carbs and protein with a side order of buttery soft green flecks.
Eat your greens with Pasta and Braised Kale
Get your kids to “eat your greens” with this pasta and braised kale recipe. It is based on this recipe, with some extra taste packed in:
- 2 bunches kale, large centre ribs and stems removed and sliced
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 8 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 500g pasta of your choice
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 4 anchovy fillets
- Splash of Sherry
- 1 small chilli finely chopped
- 100g finely grated parmesan cheese
- Rinse kale. Drain and transfer to bowl with some water still clinging.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in heavy large pot over medium heat.
- Add chopped onion and cook until soft and translucent, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes.
- Add garlic, chilli and anchovies; cook until onion is golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
- Add kale and Sherry and toss until wilted, about 3 minutes.
- Cover pot and reduce heat to medium-low. Continue cooking until kale is very tender, stirring occasionally and adding small amounts of water if dry, about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook pasta in medium pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally.
- Drain pasta, reserving a mug of cooking liquid.
- Add cooked pasta to kale mixture in pot.
- Add lemon juice, parmesan and a glug of the reserved cooking liquid and toss to combine.
- Stand back and watch in horrified awe as your children hoover up the entire thing at indecent speed.

feijoa trees and your freakishly short fruiting season!
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