Tonight was the second time we’ve made this recipe – my cookbook notes tell me that it made a pleasantly spontaneous dinner back in the fall, when we just happened to have both kale and pork.  If it were cooler, I would’ve gone with the recipe on the facing page – a deliciously Portuguese dish of kale, sausages, and garlic-roasted potatoes – but it’s a million degrees here, and even turning on the stove was pushing our luck.

Instead – a delicious stir fry using a couple of  pork chops and a few handfuls of kale from the garden.  After a brief marinade in a salty-sweet sauce, the pork is quickly stir fried, then the kale steams for a bit, then it all gets tossed back together for a hearty, savory dinner.  It was too hot to make rice, so we piled our kale and pork on slices of bread and washed it all down with cold beer.

Pork and Kale Stir-fry
From Serving Up the Harvest

1 pound boneless pork tenderloin or chops, cut into matchsticks
1/4 cup tamari (or soy sauce, but I prefer the former)
3 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or sherry (not Chinese)
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 pound kale, stems discarded and leaves shredded

Whisk together 2 tablespoons tamari, 2 tablespoons wine, the oyster sauce, sugar, ginger, and garlic.  Add the pork and set aside to marinate for at least half an hour.

Heat a large wok or skillet over high heat.  Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and swirl to coat.  Add the pork and marinade and stir fry until the pork is cooked through – about 5 minutes.  Remove the pork and sauce and keep warm.  Heat the remaining oil in the wok, then add the kale, 2 tablespoons tamari, and 1 tablespoon wine.  Stir fry for 1 minute, then cover and steam until the kale is tender, 3-5 minutes.  Return the pork and sauce to the wok and stir fry for 2-3 minutes longer.  Serve over sticky rice or with a fresh green salad on the side.  Serves 3-4, depending on how hungry you are.