After listening to her experience,  I decided to try it myself in an attempt to perfect a recipe before I share some with her.

As a cook who has learned many of my skills by listening and observing my mother and my grandmothers, and as a journalist who spent two decades working in radio before moving to print, I sometimes find it easier to tell rather than write down recipes. I’m really an auditory person, and the oral tradition is  in my nature. Like my elders did with me, I’m using that same method to teach my own children how to navigate their way around a kitchen.

During  slavery, African Americans weren’t allowed to read or write, and many of our ancestors passed down our history orally. Fortunately,  the oral tradition had been learned in Africa before they were taken from their own country and brought to America. In the Motherland, pertinent information was traditionally preserved by a person known as  a griot. The site www.soundjunction.org describes a griot as  “a musician, a sage and a unifier – one of the key figures in African society.”

In cooking, recipes are often passed down in that same oral tradition. But  since the digital age has become so prominent throughout society, much of this technique  is lost and people often rely on technology instead of their  memories.

Sherry and Yvonne Shinhoster Lamb, the owners of the We Are Black Women blog network, have suggested that I return to my broadcast roots, explain my recipes into a recorder and transcribe them for print.With my strong radio background, I plan to turn them into podcasts and in the tradition of our ancestors,  will eventually publish them here through the spoken word,  as well as the written.

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Unlike collard greens, kale doesn’t need to cook as long. Boiling foods robs them of many of the nutrients, so here’s a quick way to stir-fry kale in olive oil and keep the dish flavorful. Although you can prep everything up to one hour ahead of serving and  store your ingredients in zip-lock bags, don’t cook it until right before you are ready to serve.

INGREDIENTS

One pound of fresh kale

1/4  cup Virgin olive oil

1/2  red onion

5   cloves of fresh garlic

1/ 2  cup of capers

Salt, pepper and oregano to taste.

Garnish with fresh vine ripe tomatoes cut into wedges.

DIRECTIONS

Wash and clean kale thoroughly, strip leaves from the stalks and finely chop. Set aside.

Skin and slice onion into wedges about the size of your thumb.

Heat olive oil in a wok or a cast iron frying pan.

Skin and finely chop garlic and cook on low heat until tender. Be careful not to burn it.

Toss in onions and cook down until nearly caramelized.

Add kale and toss the mixture until it is bright green.

Add capers, salt, pepper and oregano, then toss.

This dish is served best when the kale is still crisp. Don’t let the kale cook past bright green or it will be slimy instead of delightful.

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