Lacinato Kale Salad With Dried Cranberries and Walnuts |
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Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cook Time: 0 Minutes |
Ready In: 30 Minutes Servings: 10 |
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Another delicious Anna Thomas recipe. It's strongly recommended to use Lacinato kale (also known as dinosaur, black or Tuscan) in this recipe and not standard kale. Also, I tried myzithra cheese in the salad and used very little sea salt. Ingredients:
1/2 cup dried cranberries |
1/2 lb dinosaur kale (1 large bunch) or 1/2 lb any young kale (1 large bunch) |
3 ounces arugula (about 4 cups) or 3 ounces baby mizuna (about 4 cups) |
1/3 cup kalamata olives or 1/3 cup other cured olive |
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or 1/2 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted |
1 small red sweet bell pepper |
1 tablespoon olive oil |
1 tablespoon walnut oil |
2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar, plus more to taste |
sea salt, to taste |
fresh ground black pepper, to taste |
1/4 lb blue cheese, feta cheese (optional) or 1/4 lb sharp cheddar cheese, crumbled, to garnish (optional) |
Directions:
1. Toast the nuts lightly in a dry pan over low heat, stirring until they begin to turn golden and release their toasted fragrance. Set aside to cool.
2. Pour about 1/2 cup boiling water over the cranberries and leave them to soften until you are ready to toss into the salad, at least 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, wash and dry the kale, slice away the stems and discard them. Stack the greens and roll them into tight bundles, then slice very thinly with a sharp knife; you’re aiming for a shredded look. You should have about 6 cups of shredded kale, which will shrink quite a bit the moment it is tossed with the oil and vinegar. Place the kale in a large bowl.
4. Wash and dry the arugula, cut off any tough-looking stems and cut it in short pieces. Toss the arugula with the kale.
5. Slice the olives off their pits/stones and cut them in slivers. Core and seed the red pepper, quarter it lengthwise and cut it in matchsticks. Toss the olives, nuts and pepper with the kale.
6. Drain the cranberries, then toss with the kale. Toss in the olive and walnut oils, the vinegar, sea salt and pepper. Taste the salad and correct the seasoning with a touch more salt or a drop of vinegar if it’s needed; how much salt you need will depend on how salty the olives are. Just before serving, add the crumbled cheese if you like.
7. This salad keeps well for a day or so, though it will become softer as it sits. Because it is sturdy, it can travel to a picnic or a potluck.
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