Kale Salad with Balsamic, Pine Nuts, and Parmesan


Serves: 6

The salad includes fresh raw lacinato kale leaves, cut into thin strips, dried sweetened cranberries, toasted pine nuts, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and a vinegar-rich balsamic vinaigrette, sweetened with a little honey.

Yield: Serves 6 to 8
Prep Time:
Cook Time:
Total Time:

Ingredients:

1/4 cup dried sweetened cranberries, chopped (or whole golden raisins or currants)
1/3 cup pine nuts (can substitute slivered almonds)
1 pound fresh lacinato kale (also called tuscan kale or dinosaur kale), about 2-3 bunches, rinsed and patted dry
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, packed

Directions:

1 Heat a small skilled on medium high heat. Spread the pine nuts in an even layer on the bottom of the pan, cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Then remove to a bowl to allow to cool. Hint when toasting nuts: do not take your eyes off of them! Nuts can go from browned to burned very quickly.

2 Use a sharp knife to cut out the tough midrib of each kale leaf, and discard or compost. Slice the leaves crosswise into thin, 1/4 inch wide, slices. The easiest way to do this is to work with a small bunch of leaves at a time, stack the leaves and roll them into a loose cigar shape. Then using a sharp knife, work from one end of the "cigar" to the other, slicing a 1/4 inch off from the end. Place the kale slices into a large bowl.

3 In a smaller bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, rice vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper. A half hour to an hour before serving, toss the kale together with the toasted pine nuts, the dried cranberries, and the dressing, allowing the kale to marinate a bit. Right before serving, stir in the grated Parmesan cheese.

Source: simplyrecipes.com



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