A Kale Salad For The People
Telling myself that it's cool because it uses Dinosaur Kale
I’m not really a “kale guy.” I don’t typically associate with people who are “kale people.” I never have nor will I consume a “kale smoothie.”[1] Actively liking kale is not a character trait that I can vibe with.[2] This isn’t a whole anti-green food thing on my end either. I’ll happily dig into some butter lettuce, munch down on some iceberg, or get toothy with some arugula.[3] I love lettuce! Even the weird chicories like escarole and radicchio hold a dear place in my heart. Kale just does not do it for me.
Except. There’s always that pesky except.
Except in one particular dish. This kale salad that I’ve been making a bunch of recently. That is the one thing that makes me, if not enjoy eating kale, at least not actively avoid it. It’s good enough to make a believer out of any anti-kale person out there. It whips enough butt flavor-wise that you can tell people that you “had a kale salad” in a super smug tone and not hate yourself for it. What’s better than that?
Allow me to present, the best damn kale salad you’ve ever had. It takes a bit of prep work, but it’s worth it. (Note: I adapted my recipe from the one in the great Six Seasons cookbook by Joshua McFadden and Martha Holmberg.)
Serves 4-5
Ingredients:
1 bunch kale. (Any edible kale variety is fine, but I recommend Lacinato Kale aka dinosaur kale. It tastes better than the curly kale and, more importantly, is much easier to prep. Lacinato is available at most supermarkets)
3 fat cloves of garlic
1 honeycrisp apple, diced.
1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs (or more if you’re feeling frisky)
¼ cup of fresh grated parm (plus another 1/3 cup to top salad)
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp olive oil, divided in half
½ tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Preparation:
Wash and dry your kale. Lightly massage the leaves by crinkling them in your hands.
Separate the leaves from the center stalk. Try to keep the leaves in big strips, this will make the next part easier.
Take a handful of the kale leaves and roll them into a tight cylinder. Chiffonade the kale along the short edge of the tube.[4] You want to make your cuts as thin as possible. Once a tube is fully sliced, cut the resulting wheels of kale in half. Add them to your mixing bowl. You should have a bunch of thin strips of kale.
Repeat until all the kale is chiffonaded.
In a small nonstick pan, put 1 tbsp of olive oil. Heat over low heat. Saute one minced clove of garlic. Cook until fragrant and lightly brown. Add in the breadcrumbs and toast until brown. When adding the panko, the garlic will clump. Use a wooden spoon to separate the clumps.
Take the other two garlic cloves and mince or dice them, whichever is easiest. Sprinkle a small amount of salt over the cut garlic and run the flat of a knife over it several times to turn it into a paste.
Make the dressing by combining the garlic paste, olive oil, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, parm, salt, and pepper.
About 5-10 minutes before you serve it add the dressing. This will tenderize the kale leaves even further.
Add the diced apple and breadcrumbs and toss. Just before serving, top it with more freshly shredded parm. Make it look like it just snowed over that salad. Serve!
[1] I will, however, keep putting “kale” in quotes!
[2] No, it’s not just a matter of taste. People who like kale make it a character trait.
[3] Molar up on a thing of endive, go gnash into some bibb, masticate some friseé. You get it.
[4] That’s a fancy word for “thinly slice”
Please let me know if you make and enjoy this recipe! I’d love that. While you’re at it, why not subscribe???? It’s easy!