Purple kale & chilli de agua tacos

By: Paul Wilson
From: Taqueria
Serves: 6-8
Photographer: Chris Middleton

Vibrant veggie street eats are a great way to start a dinner party fiesta. ‘Chilli de agua’, also known as bullhorn chillies, are sweet and subtle, great on the barbecue or in a quick stir-fry. Sure, kale is a rather overexposed superfood but it’s also one of our most versatile brassicas – prepared as a savoury stew inspired by Mexican rajas poblanos, it’s both comforting and nutritious. The impressive-looking but easy-to-prepare crispy kale topping acts as a great sponge for the salty cheese.

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient
1 bunch	purple kale, stalks removed
2 tablespoons	olive oil
4	garlic cloves, finely sliced
1	large salad onion, finely sliced
1 bunch	oregano leaves, chopped
pinch	ground nutmeg
pinch	ground allspice
2	jalapenos
6	assorted bullhorn chillies, cut into thin rounds, (see Latin Larder)
3 tablespoons	sherry vinegar
3 tablespoons	agave syrup
250ml	Adobo sauce
8-12	Tortilla dough, small homemade masa tortillas
or	store-bought tortillas
175g	salted ricotta or feta, chopped

Crispy kale spice mix

Quantity	Ingredient
	olive oil spray
pinch	salt
pinch	garlic powder
pinch	ground cumin
pinch	chilli powder
pinch	smoked paprika

Method

Preheat the oven to 150°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil, add half the kale and blanch for 5 minutes. Drain and refresh in ice-cold water for 2 minutes, then drain and squeeze dry. Roughly chop and refrigerate until required.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic, onions, herbs and spices and fry for 2–3 minutes, until the onions start to soften, then add the jalapeños and bullhorn chillies and fry for a further 2 minutes. Pour over the sherry vinegar and agave syrup, bring to a simmer and cook for 4 minutes, or until reduced and syrupy. Add the cooked kale and adobo sauce and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Season to taste and leave to cool.
Add the remaining kale to a bowl, spray lightly with olive oil and toss together with the salt, garlic powder and spices.
Arrange the kale on the prepared baking tray, leaving space between the individual leaves, and bake for 30 minutes until crisp, turning the tray around after 15 minutes to ensure even cooking.
Heat a medium non-stick pan over high heat. Lightly spray with oil and briefly fry the tortillas to warm them. Stack the tortillas, wrap in a warm damp tea towel and set aside to keep warm.
To serve, place the tortillas onto serving plates and top with the kale and pepper stew. Scatter over the crispy kale leaves and cheese and serve immediately.