by: aut.mallettePosted on:

The Kale Salad Everyone Loves—Even The Kale Haters

I must admit, kale was never my favorite vegetable. It was, actually, my least favorite vegetable at one point.

This rough and tough leafy green seemed exhausting to eat and was never tasty enough to make it worth the trouble. It wasn’t until recently discovering Joshua McFadden’s ‘The Kale Salad That Started It All’ that I was permanently converted from a kale hater to a full-blown enthusiast. Less is more with this recipe and honestly, I find that the more simple and straightforward recipes always turn out to be the most delicious.

Impress your friends with this quick and easy kale salad, just like how I impressed mine, and learn my #1 favorite technique that is sure to elevate any kale salad from “boo…” to “Whhooooo!”

Excerpted from Six Seasons by Joshua McFadden (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2017. Photographs by Laura Dart and A.J. Meeker

The Kale Salad That Started It All

by: Joshua McFadden

Serving Size:
2-4
Time:
10-15 min
Difficulty:
Beginner

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch of Dinosaur Kale (I’ve also used Curly Kale, but Dino is better in my opinion)
  • ½ garlic clove, finely chopped
  • ¼ cup finely grated Pecorino Romano (grate it yourself, trust me)
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1/8 teaspoon dried chili flakes
  • Salt and pepper
  • ¼ cup dried breadcrumbs

Directions

  1. Remove all thick kale stems from the leaves then stack several leaves on top of one another and roll them up into a tight cylinder. With a sharp knife, slice crosswise into very thin, about 1⁄16 inch, ribbons (this is called a chiffonade). Put the kale in a salad spinner, rinse in cool water, and spin until completely dry. Pile the kale into a bowl. *MY #1 FAVORITE TECHNIQUE TO ELEVATE ANY KALE SALAD* It is an absolute MUST to massage your kale when making a kale salad. This technique helps soften the kale and makes it so you’re not chewing on leaves for hours. Sprinkle some olive oil and salt over the leaves and toss it around. Scrunch the leaves in your hands until you hear a wet, squishy sound (almost like a sponge) when you squeeze. Once you hear this sound, scrunch a little bit more. Now your kale should be soft and ready for dressing.
  2. Put the chopped garlic on a cutting board and mince it even more until you have a paste (you can sort of smash and scrape the garlic with the side of the knife as well). Transfer the garlic to a small bowl, add 1/4 cup Pecorino, a healthy glug of olive oil, the lemon juice, chili flakes, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and plenty of twists of black pepper, and whisk to combine.
  3. Pour the dressing over the kale and toss well to thoroughly combine (you can use your clean hands for this, to be efficient). Taste and adjust with more lemon, salt, chili flakes, or black pepper. Let the salad sit for about 5 minutes so the kale softens slightly. Top with the breadcrumbs, shower with more cheese and drizzle with more oil. Breadcrumbs: In Joshua McFadden’s original recipe, he teaches you how to make homemade breadcrumbs. I’m a certified lazy girl so I settle for store-bought bread crumbs and toast them over the stove. DO NOT burn your breadcrumbs, it will turn the entire salad bitter and inedible.

4 thoughts on “The Kale Salad Everyone Loves—Even The Kale Haters”

  3. YEEEEESSSS!!! this kale salad was sooooo good!! I’ve always eaten kale in substitute of regular lettuce (when available) but I’ve never actually liked it…. UNTIL NOW!!! Girl this was sooooo good.

  4. I also didn’t like kale but after using this technique my mind is changed! Doing this every time I make kale salad now.

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