Posts Tagged “Kalettes”
The coloring of Kalettes® is stunning in its raw state. These “kale sprouts” are a colorful combination of purple stems and green leaves with a purple hue. The size of Kalettes® will vary due to the way they grow on the plant stalk and because they are hand harvested. Look for Kalettes® with hydrated leaves that have no yellowing or browning. The stems should look freshly cut; this is a great way to gauge the age of product.
Preparing Kalettes
HOW TO STORE
Kalettes® must be kept refrigerated at all times until they are ready to be used. Refrigerate in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator. To refresh, trim ends and submerge in ice water for a few minutes to re-crisp.
HOW TO PREPARE
Always rinse Kalettes® before using under cool water. Similar to how to prepare Brussels sprouts, trim the end off of each Kalette® to re-fresh the stem.
WHOLE
Kalettes® can be cooked and served in their whole state. Sauteing or steaming is the ideal application for using whole Kalettes®.
CHOPPING
What makes Kalettes® unique is that you get both the kale leaves and soft stems all in one vegetable, creating a medley of texture. Chop the entire Kalette® including the stem when preparing to cook. The smaller the stem pieces, the faster they will soften when cooked.
Cooking with Kalettes
How to Cook
Kalettes® are very versatile and may be sautéed, roasted, grilled or eaten raw. Here are a few ideas of how to use Kalettes® after rinsing.
The ways to cook Kalettes® are endless. Below are a few ideas of how to use Kalettes® after rinsing.
Roasting
To roast, place Kalettes® (either whole or chopped) in a roasting pan or baking sheet, coat with olive oil and bake at 475 degrees for 10 minutes.
Sautéing
Sauté chopped Kalettes® in a large pan for 5-7 minutes, covering for increased tenderness.
Grilling
Grill whole Kalettes® in a grill basket over medium heat for 10 minutes or until
slightly charred.
Raw
For extra texture, flavor and color add chopped Kalettes® to any salad blend.
As An Additional Ingredient
For extra texture, flavor and color add chopped Kalettes® to any recipe you would normally add a vegetable to (i.e.: green onions or bell peppers.) The sweet flavor of the Kalettes® pairs well with tomatoes. Add chopped Kalettes® to eggs, quiche, stuffing, pasta sauces…the uses are endless.
By Tozer Seeds
SANTA MARIA, CALIF. —Kalettes®, the kale and brussels sprouts hybrid, recently received the 2015 StarChefs Innovator Award at the 10th Annual International Chefs Congress (ICC) for bringing the most exciting new product to market in the food and beverage category.
The ICC is a three-day, industry-only culinary symposium with some of the best food and drink in the country hosted by StarChefs.com, a magazine for culinary insiders serving the restaurant industry since 1995. As much as ICC is about the people, talent, and ideas, it also recognizes innovative products that facilitate so much creativity. In the food and beverage category, Kalettes was awarded by ICC vendors for bringing a product that stirs the imagination and excites the palate.
“We are thrilled to receive this award and feel honored that we can inspire chefs across the country with our new product,” said Kraig Kuykendall, sales manager of Tozer Seeds America, the company behind Kalettes. “Kalettes are the product of 15 years of hard work and dedication so seeing both foodservice professionals and consumers get excited about them is the greatest payoff.”
Kalettes are the product of more than a decade of research by Tozer Seeds, the largest family-owned vegetable breeding company in England. The kale and brussels sprout hybrid offers a fresh fusion of sweet and nutty, combining the best traits of each of its parent vegetables. Kalettes are not genetically modified and were developed by cross-pollinating brussels sprouts with kale through traditional methods.
Tozer Seeds has exclusive marketing agreements with select companies to grow and market Kalettes to create a consistent name and brand identity, which would allow consumers to easily recognize this new vegetable. The companies who have entered into the marketing agreement with Tozer for Kalettes are 4Earth Farms, Classic Salads, Mann Packing, Ocean Mist Farms, Southern Specialties and WP Rawl. As part of the agreement, Kalettes seeds will be sold by Johnny’s Selected Seeds to small farmers and home growers.
Kalettes are available to both retailers and food service distributors directly through the companies. For more information on Kalettes, including recipes, visit www.kalettes.com
A planned fall rollout at U.S. retail supermarkets of the vegetable Kalettes is planned, which is a cross between kale and brussels sprouts.
It is spearheaded by based sales manager of Tozer Seeds America, said in a news release.
“We started selling seed in the U.S. in 2012 and quickly realized that this new vegetable was going to be a huge hit with consumers due to the popularity of both vegetables,” Kuykendall said. So far, Kalettes has appeared in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. It was developed over more than a decade of research by cross-pollinating brussels sprouts with kale through traditional methods.
Plans for the U.S. launch include consumer and social media activity. A website offers recipes; a Facebook page and other outlets have been established. Rock Garden South, a Miami-based grower and subsidiary of Miami-based specialties distributor Coosemans Worldwide, introduced organic BrusselKale — a cross between brussels sprouts and red kale — last year.