Somewhere during the hundred-forty days in a row that Catherine Walthers served her family kale, her husband piped up to say, “We should call this book One Thousand Ways to Hide Kale.” Truth be told, in some of the recipes in Kale Glorious Kale, the hearty vegetable du jour makes a cameo appearance: 1/8th of an ounce of juice in a six ounce Kale Mary cocktail comes to mind. But the point isn’t to hide the vegetable, Walters says; it’s to show its
versatility. Besides, you don’t necessarily need a heaping portion of kale in your aperitif when Walthers, who is a regular contributor to this magazine and the author of several other cookbooks, has perfected so many creative and delicious ways to serve up the healthy green or purple stuff. Maple-Sesame Kale Chips? Oh, yeah. Wild Rice and Kale-Stuffed Butternut Squash? Yes, please. Grilled Kale and Tomato Panzanella Salad? Don’t mind if we do. (The Countryman Press, $16.95)