Massaged Kale Salad
“When we were young, there was no kale”
Issue 50: From Sara Kate
(photo: Aubrie Pick)
We always tell kids that “when we were young, there was no kale.” Okay, that isn’t totally true, but in grocery stores, kale was mostly used as a decoration and pretty much never sold as a food! Now it’s one of the most popular vegetables out there—it is amazingly nutritious, has great sturdy texture and powerhouse flavor, and takes to cooking any which way . . . or not being cooked at all!
This salad, featured in our upcoming cookbook, is all about the kale. And there’s a special trick. Sure, you can dress it like any salad, but by massaging the dressing into the leaves with your hands, you soften them and make them more pleasant to eat raw.
Lemon helps brighten up the earthy flavor of the kale, although you could use any other acid, like apple cider vinegar or even rice vinegar. Pepitas (pumpkin seeds) are a nice alternative to nuts for adding a crunchy texture. We top this salad with a shower of grated Parmesan that looks like snow atop the deep-green mountain of kale, or keep it vegan by using a sprinkle of nutritional yeast.
Always teaching resourcefulness and a waste-not approach to cooking, one tip we love to give is to save the stems. Kale stems can be a bit tough and fibrous to eat raw, so we usually tear off the tender leaves and keep the stems. They’re packed with flavor and nutrients and need just a little work before they’re ready to eat! Try these ideas:
• Do you keep scraps of vegetables (onion bits, carrot peels, etc) to make stock? We do! Add them to your scrap bag for that next round of vegetable broth.
• Soften them by blanching and then add to your favorite stir-fry. We love them with our Up-to-You Fried Rice (pre-order the book and turn to page 84).
• Make Quick Fridge Pickles. We love eating pickled kale stems as a snack, piled onto a sandwich, or as a topper for grain bowls, salads, and more.
Massaged Kale Salad
serves 4-6
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons minced shallot (about 1/2 small shallot
)1 teaspoon minced garlic (about 1 medium clove)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 bunch (about 1/2 pound) curly or lacinato kale, leaves stemmed
1/2 cup (about 1 1/2 ounces) grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup pepitas, toasted
In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, shallot, and garlic and shake until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper.Use your hands to tear the kale leaves into smaller pieces and place them in a large bowl.
Pour the dressing over the kale and use your hands to massage and lightly scrunch the leaves until they get slightly darker in color and more tender. Toss in the Parmesan and pepitas, and serve.