Festive Kale Salad with Pecan Vinaigrette by TheDevineKitchen
TheDevineKitchen
Festive Kale Salad with Pecan Vinaigrette
Yield: 8 servings
“Holy… Holidays,” I made this salad two weeks ago for American Thanksgiving when our son was with us here in Fenelon. It was so good! The original recipe is from the November 2021 issue of Bon Appetit. I’ve never been a big fan of raw kale as I find it too tough and fibrous. But if you follow my lead and sprinkle the kale with salt and massage it to render it tender, well it’s a different story. Note my variations below, which I know will be super delicious the next time I serve it. And by-the-way, I used walnuts as that’s what I had on hand.
Ingredients:
2 large bunches kale, washed and dried
1 head romaine lettuce, washed and sliced lengthwise into quarters, and widthwise into 1-inch strips (optional)
1 bunch radishes, washed, trimmed, and thinly sliced
1 ½ cups pecans
2 cloves garlic
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons capers, drained
1 tablespoon local honey
½ teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
Fresh ground pepper, to taste
Method:
Preheat oven to 325∞F. Toast nuts on a sheet pan 8-10 minutes until fragrant. Allow to cool. Separate ½ cup nuts into a small bowl for serving.
In the meantime, rip kale off stems into bite-sized pieces and toss into a large bowl (compost the stems or save for another use).
Sprinkle kale with about 1/4 teaspoon sea salt. Working in sections, massage the kale between your thumb and fingers for 3-4 minutes total (this tenderizes the kale making it softer and thus easier to chew). Set aside while you make the vinaigrette.
For the vinaigrette:
With food processor running, drop garlic through the feed tube to finely chop. Add remaining pecans, capers, honey, cider vinegar, and salt. Slowly drizzle in olive oil. Taste for seasoning and add fresh ground pepper to your liking.
To finish the salad, add Romaine to kale. Toss half the dressing over the salad, taste, and add more if desired. Add radishes and toss again. Chop or break reserved pecans into small pieces. Sprinkle over salad and serve.
Variations:
If you don’t have pecans use walnuts.
Omit the radishes and toss with thinly sliced tart-sweet apples.
Omit the radishes and toss with ½ cup pomegranate seeds.
In a pinch, substitute dried cranberries for radishes or pomegranate seeds. Then add sliced apples. They’re so yummy together!
If you love cheese, crumble 4-ounces of your favorite blue cheese over this salad as it pairs beautifully with all the above ingredients.
