Spinach Kale Adobo W/ Bacon

Ingredients

• 1 16oz package of Center cut bacon
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 7 large garlic cloves, lightly crushed
• 5 bay leaves
• 4 bunches of kale, stems and ribs removed, chopped fine
• 2 to 3 tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 to 3 tbsp. coconut vinegar or white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 package bag of salad spinach
• 2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Thai or serrano chile, crushed (optional)

Preparation

In a 4- to 5-qt. pan over medium heat, cook bacon, stirring, until extra crispy, 8 to 10 minutes. Strain fat and reserve 1 tbsp of bacon grease for later, discard the rest of the bacon fat. allow bacon to drain all fat then crush to bits and set aside.

In the same pan mix olive oil and bacon grease and heat up. Add onion, garlic, and bay leaves and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until onion is pale golden, 5 minutes. Toss in kale; cook, stirring, until wilted. Add 1 cup water, half the bacon, 2 tbsp. each soy sauce and coconut vinegar, the pepper, and chile. Simmer, covered, adding water if pan gets dry, until kale is very tender, 35-45 minutes. In the last 10-15 minuets add the whole bag of spinach then cover and mix. Add soy and vinegar to taste. Serve sprinkled with remaining bacon.

My Review:

This is an AMAZING side dish to have for dinner. It's a real good spin on my usual Adobo Kangkong (water spinach). The Kale has a very nice texture, and mixed with all the flavor its really just a good creative dish. Its also very easy to make. I kinda added too much bacon the first time, but after it cooked down it actually turned out really good. Another tip is to microwave the bacon in increments and drain the fat that way, it also leaves the bacon very crispy. Also at the end I used 1 tablespoon of regular soy sauce to give it more flavor.