Addictive kale-garlic salad
I could eat this all year.
This is my twist of the Andrew Weil’s classic kale-garlic salad. If you think you don’t like raw kale, give this one a shot.
The main difference between my version and the other is that I don’t use nearly the amount of dressing - the original is super overkill. And I don’t bother with ingredients I don’t have on hand.
I find it best to use a garlic that is at its best raw, but any garlic will do. My favorite garlic to use with this is Red Toch, which is a variety that matures early and is excellent raw.
Dressing:
I find it easiest to put all ingredients in a mason jar and shake, but you can whisk in a bowl if you like.
-2ish garlic cloves, put through a press, mashed, or chopped fine.
-Juice of about 1/2 a lemon (bottled juice will do in a pinch)
-A big pinch of salt
-A couple to three tablespoons of olive oil, depending on your taste.
-If you have red pepper flakes, toss a pinch into the dressing
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Leaves:
I use approx 12 average sized leaves for the above ratio.
The best kale to use for this salad is Tuscan/Lacinato/Dinosaur kale. Here is my growing tips. If you don’t have this variety of kale, you can experiment with others, but beware that some kales have spines that are not pleasant in a raw preparation. Lettuce or other leaves suitable for eating raw would probably work just fine as a substitute.
I find it best to de-rib the kale, as the stalks taste bitter to me. If the ribs don’t bother you, by all means, leave them in. More power to ya.
To slice the kale, grab a big handful in your non-dominant hand, and shred them into strips.
Put the leaves in a large bowl, pour the dressing on, mix well. A pair of tongs works best.
Toppings:
Bread crumbs: the initial recipe calls for bread crumbs. I don’t find them essential. Use them if you’ve got them.
Cheese: again, optional. I really like Toscano cheese from Trader Joe’s, grated on a microplane. But any dry grating cheese will do. The original recipe calls for additional cheese shavings, but this seems overkill to me.
Improvisations: you could add your protein of choice or leave it alone as a side dish. Some tomatoes would be a nice addition. I bet fully cooked cold black beans would be excellent as well.
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