Långkål (Swedish creamed kale)
45 min · 7 g protein · 136 cals / serving
The deep-green Christmas side from Halland and Skåne: kale blanched, chopped very fine and simmered in a creamy sauce with a touch of butter, golden syrup, white pepper and nutmeg until soft and spoonable. This one is made mostly with milk and a little cooking cream, so it stays silky without being heavy beside the ham.
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 lb kale, thick stems removed
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour (bleached)
- 1 1/4 cups skimmed milk, 0.5% fat, fortified
- 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp cooking cream, 15% fat
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1 pinch nutmeg
Steps
- Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, or use the stock from boiling the Christmas ham (skinkspad), which is the Halland way and gives the most flavour. Add the kale and cook for 8–10 minutes until soft. Drain, rinse under cold water and squeeze out as much water as you can with your hands. Chop it very finely with a large knife or pulse in a food processor; it should look almost like a coarse purée.
- Melt the butter in the same pot over medium heat, stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the milk a little at a time, then the cream, and simmer for 2–3 minutes, stirring, until smooth and thickened.
- Stir in the chopped kale, syrup, salt, white pepper and nutmeg and simmer gently for 8–10 minutes, stirring often, until the kale is soft and the sauce clings to it. Taste and adjust: it should be savoury with just a hint of sweetness. Serve hot with the Christmas ham.
Good to know
Can I use frozen kale?
Yes, and it saves the blanching. Use 750 g frozen chopped kale, thaw it, squeeze it dry and go straight to step 2. It gives about the same score.
Can I make it ahead?
Långkål keeps 3 days in the fridge and many people think it is better on day two. Reheat gently with a splash of milk, stirring.
Can I make it the traditional way, with whipping cream?
Use whipping cream instead of the cooking cream for the richer classic, at about 56 instead of 68.
Per
- Calories
- 73
- Protein
- (21%)
- 4 g
- Fat
- (38%)
- 3 g
- Carbohydrates
- (41%)
- 9 g
- of which sugar
- 4 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
- Sodium
- 181 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 813 kcal goes into the pot and 1251 g of ingredients comes out as about 1110 g of food: 73 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.