Kale & Split Peas

Kale & Split Peas with Roast Leek

Winter is the season for all thing pulses, bringing a taste of the far east into hearty comfort food heaven. Dahl, lentils, split peas, they are all fairly interchangeable and bring a warmth that glows from the inside out. Perfect for winters last breath before spring sees us through to longer days and warmer skies. 

I do feel sorry for kale, it gets such a bad deal over the winter when it actually has a lot to offer! Its texture is robust enough to take a lot of punishment in all kinds of dishes and cooking styles. The minerally green flavour is benign enough to accept heavy seasoning while distinctive enough to have character. 

Cooked with a few spices and split peas then paired with roast leek and kale takes quite a bit of beating! 

Serves 4
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour

Ingredients:
325g +/- yellow split peas or chana dahl
A thumb of butter
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbs turmeric
A pinch of chilli flakes
1 tsp dried rosemary
4 cloves of garlic
Sea salt flakes
Fresh ground black pepper
4 leeks
200 – 300g curly kale

1. Soaking any pulses overnight makes cooking much quicker and gives a softer final texture. 
   
   Preheat the oven to 220°C or use a hot grill
   
   2.               Melt the butter over a moderate heat in a large pan until it starts to foam. Add the spices and let them gently temper until fragrant.
   
   3.               Rinse the split peas and drain briefly, then add to the pan, mixing so the spices and butter coat them. Add enough water to cover by a finger thickness and season generously with salt. 
   
   4.               Finely chop the onion and garlic, then add to the peas and cover with a lid. Turn the heat down to low and leave gently bubbling away for half an hour. 
   
   5.               Slice the leek tops down to the point where the green gives way to white and wash these sliced tops well. Add to the split peas to cook.
   
   6.               With the remaining body of the leek, wash well and prick with a knife, then cook under a hot grill or in the oven until the skin begins to scorch and they become soft. 
   
   7.               While the leek is cooking, strip the kale from its stems and chop. Add to the peas and check the seasoning. 
   
   8.               Once the keel is soft and scorched, slice on an angle and serve with the split peas and a drizzle of your favourite oil
   
   Serve with any yoghurt or dairy mixed with fresh grated horseradish.