page's kale salad

My friend Page is a great cook and she made another winning dish while we were away together on our ski trip...inspired by a kale salad she had at a party she set out to duplicate it and then added one of her favorite fruits, pomelo. The crunch of toasted almonds and the citrusy zing of the pomelo and lemon vinaigrette are perfect with the fresh kale. Page served this salad with our dinner but it also makes a great lunch with bread and cheese. Since the kale stands up well to the dressing, you can even make it for dinner and enjoy any leftovers the next day.

Page likes to use dinosaur kale, also known as tuscan kale, nero di Toscana, or lacinato kale. The salad is best if the kale is thinly sliced into small bite size pieces. When I made this salad (for the photo above) dinosaur kale was sold out at my local market so I bought a curly leaf variety and it was delicious anyway...if you use a kale variety with a tough rib in the leaf femove it before chopping the kale.

PAGE'S KALE SALAD

1 bunch dinosaur kale (can substitute other varieties)

Juice of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 cup roughly chopped dry roasted almonds or marcona almonds

1/3 cup finely grated parmasan (use a microplaner if you have one)

1 pomelo, peeled, all membranes removed and sections broken into small pieces

FOR THE VINAIGRETTE

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Combine all vinaigrette ingredients in a jar and shake thoroughly to emulsify.

Combine the kale, lemon juice, and salt in a bowl and let marinate for 30 minutes, massaging the leaves with fingertips to soften. When ready to serve add vinaigrette, almonds, parmesan, and pomelo and toss to combine. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste.

spiced nuts

Spiced nuts are a great addition to simple salads. They add crunch and flavor making an otherwise ordinary bowl of greens special. I've used many nuts over the years including almonds, pecans, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds. I find that honey in a squeeze bottle, like the honey bears you can find everywhere, work best for this since you can drizzle it a little bit at a time. You barely need any...adding too much will make the coating gloppy.

Combine 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ginger, 1/4 teaspoon cumin, 1/4 teaspoon corriander, and a pinch of cayenne in a small bowl. Place nuts on a sheet pan and toast in a 350° oven for about 10 minutes, or until the nuts are lightly browned and fragrant. Immediately transfer the hot nuts to a metal bowl and drizzle with a little honey. Toss to combine--the nuts should all be shiny, but not heavily coated. Sprinkle the spice mixture over the nuts and toss again until all the nuts are coated. Set aside to cool completely before using.

garden herb greek salad

In August, when all the ingredients are in their peak season, I love using all the herbs in our garden to really boost a simple greek salad by adding them to every component. Served on a large platter it makes a beautiful centerpiece for a simple dinner...especially if you are shopping at a farm stand or farmer's market and find beautiful little tomatoes in an array of colors. We ate this one with yogurt marinated grilled chicken, grilled pitas with fresh herbs, and corn on the cob. Although this recipe sounds like a lot of steps each one only takes a minute or two. 

GARDEN HERB GREEK SALAD

1 small red onion

3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon freshly chopped dill

1/2 pint feta

1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley

1 tablespoon freshly chopped basil, plus 1 cup basil leaves

6 tablespoons basil oil (can substitute regular olive oil)

1 head romaine lettuce

1 pint cherry tomatoes 

3 kirby cucumbers

1/2 cup black olives

1 teaspoon digon mustard

Peel and thinly slice the red onion and put it in a small bowl. Add red wine vinegar, sugar, salt and dill and stir to combine. Set aside for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened.

Drain any water from the feta and sprinkle with the chopped parsley and basil. Drizzle one tablespoon of the basil oil over the feta and set aside. 

Chop lettuce and wash and dry in a salad spinner with basil leaves. Place greens on a large platter. Add cherry tomatoes, halving the largest ones and add to platter. Peel and slice cucumber and add to platter. Remove pits from olives: this is done easily by pressing on them with your thumb to split them open, and add to salad. 

Remove onions from vinegar, reserving the vinegar mixture, and add to the salad. Add mustard to the vinegar and whisk to combine. Add remaining 5 tablespoons of basil oil and whisk. Add dressing to salad and toss to combine. Sprinkle feta cheese on top and serve. 

You can prepare all the components of this salad a half an hour in advance but do not add the dressing until ready to serve.