Recipe of the week:
Kale Salad with Pecorino
Kale salad can be off-putting. The leaves can be tough, making it kind of unpleasant to eat. Some recipes tell you to massage the leaves with oil; there's no need--and it doesn't always work, anyway. Allowing thinly cut leaves to sit in an acidic dressing will tenderize it.
This is a very nice fall salad and makes a great addition to potlucks! Be generous with the pecorino; you really can't use too much!
½ cup walnuts
¼ cup raisins (I prefer golden but it doesn't matter.)
1 TB white wine vinegar
1 TB water
¼ cup panko
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
2 tsp and 2 TB olive oil (divided)
Kale
½ cup (or more!) grated pecorino romano
2 TB lemon juice
Chopped apple (optional, but nice)
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Heat oven to 350. Toast walnuts on a baking sheet for 10 minutes, tossing once. Let cool and coarsely chop.
2. In a small saucepan over low heat, simmer white wine vinegar, water and raisins for 5 minutes, until plump and soft. Set aside in the liquid.
3. Toast bread crumbs, garlic and 2 teaspoons of the olive oil in a skillet together with a pinch of salt until golden. Set aside.
4. Remove stems and ribs from from the kale. (Blanch and freeze them to use in soup!) Stack sections of leaves and roll them into a tube, then cut them into thin ribbons crosswise.
5. Put kale in a large bowl. Drain the raisins, but reserve the liquid. Add pecorino, walnuts and raisins. remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and lemon juice and toss until all of the kale is coated. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt, pepper and some of the reserved vinegar mixture from the raisins, if needed. Let sit at least 10 minutes before serving. Just before serving, toss with bread crumbs and apple (if using)and give the salad a final drizzle with olive oil.
