I’m a pretty new convert to kale. Last year’s CSA run was really my first major exposure, and I found it mainly useful as a green for soups. It was very sturdy and didn’t turn to mush when it was simmered for a long time.
I tried something a bit different this weekend. Well, different for me—it’s probably old had for all the routine kale-eaters out there. I made a salad. Kale being pretty tough, I started by massaging in a bit of salt and olive oil (after washing and drying the leaves, minus stems, of course), and I let it sit for a while. I then added my current salad staples: diced shallot, jalapeno, chopped dill, chopped cilantro, and balsamic vinegar.
It was out of this world. The lettuce we get from the CSA is the good stuff—no flavorless iceburg here—and this blew it all away. The kale had such a great flavor, plus the texture was the perfect amount of firmness. It was really fantastic.
The downside: when I start making soups again, I may not have enough kale to really go around. I can only hope that I’ll be off my salad craving by then.
Leave a comment