Smokehouse Kale
2 slices bacon, sliced crosswise into 3/8-inch-wide strips
One medium onion thinly sliced
One bunch kale (about 12 leaves)
½ – ¾ cup chicken stock
A pinch kosher salt
1/16 tsp ground Chipotle or ½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp or more of Liquid Smoke (mandatory; this is the secret ingredient)
Sauté bacon over low heat in sauce pan until it starts to brown. Then add sliced onion and sauté stirring occasionally until onion is translucent. In the meantime, cut the stem out of each kale leaf by folding each leaf in half at the stem and cutting all the way through along the leaf side of the stem. Then stack the still-folded-and-now-stemless leaves and cut into 1-inch pieces, cutting all the way through all leaves both horizontally and vertically. Add kale to the onions and bacon and add ½ cup of the chicken stock. Simmer for 30-40 minutes until the kale is tender (it takes longer than you think), addming more stock if necessary and seasoning to taste starting with a miniscule amount of ground Chipotle (if using) and a small pinch of salt. Kale is easily oversalted. Add enough Liquid Smoke to flavor the kale; it takes more than you think because it smells smokier sooner than it tastes smokey.