Portuguese-Style Rice With Kale and Plum Tomatoes
Sturdy greens such as kale can be leathery and tough if not cooked long enough. But a gentle simmer gives kale time to become tender and sweet, and to meld with other ingredients. That’s why it tastes so good when we wilt an entire pound in a Portuguese-style soupy rice dish with chopped tomatoes.
A staple on Portuguese tables, arroz de grelos customarily is made with spicy turnip greens (grelos), but in our version, we opt for easier-to-find lacinato kale. Bunches of kale vary in size, so to make sure you purchase enough for this recipe, weigh it on the produce scale at the grocery store; you need 1 pound.
Be sure to keep the pot covered while the rice is cooking; uncovering it releases too much steam and the end result would be too dry.
Serve this simple yet remarkably flavorful one-pot dish as the center of a vegan or vegetarian meal, or offer it alongside almost any simply prepared meat, poultry, or seafood.
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 medium plum tomatoes, cored and chopped, divided
Kosher salt
1 bunch lacinato kale (about 1 pound), stemmed, leaves torn into 1½-inch pieces
½ cup long-grain white rice, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon lemon juice
In a large pot set over medium-high heat, warm the oil until shimmering. Add the onion, garlic, a third of the chopped tomatoes, and 1 tablespoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have broken down and the bits stuck to the bottom of the pot are dark golden brown, 7 to 10 minutes.
Add the kale and cook, stirring and scraping up any browned bits, until wilted, about 1 minute. Stir in 2½ cups water and bring to a simmer, then cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for 10 minutes, then stir in the rice and the remaining chopped tomatoes. Return to a simmer, then cover and reduce to low. Cook, without stirring or lifting the cover, until the rice is tender and only a little liquid pools at the bottom of the pot, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and 1 teaspoon salt. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, if desired.
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