EcrosTechWiki | Recipes / Kale Salad with Lemon, Parmesan and Pine Nuts

From the Boston Globe Magazine, January 13, 2013, with minor alterations, clarifications and elaborations. Quantities are for two substantial portions. If this dish is not a major part of the meal, there will enough for four to six people.

1 bunch	.....	Tuscan kale
2 tablespoons	.....	Fresh lemon juice
1 clove	.....	Garlic, minced
3 tablespoons	.....	Extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons	.....	Grated Parmesan cheese (and more to sprinkle)
to taste	.....	Salt and pepper
¼ cup	.....	Toasted pine nuts

Remove the stems of the kale and tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces. The kale will need to be washed, so do this in whatever way makes sense to you. The Boston Globe wants you to remove the stems, wash the leaves, spin them dry and then tear them up. Why would you not tear them up before spinning? I prefer to wash the leaves first, grab them by the stems and go outside to swing them around and throw off the water. You need to end up with a bowl of clean, dry pieces of kale leaf that you can stuff into your mouth reasonably politely.

Whisk together the lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, Parmesan, salt and pepper in a small bowl. You're going to pour this over the kale and give the whole thing a serious massage, getting your hands covered in oil and stuff. So, take up a position near the sink with soap and warm water ready for when you're done. Right - off you go. Your goal is to cover every square millimeter of kale leaf with the dressing so that the lemon juice can soak in and tenderize it. You really can't overdo this. When you're finished, lick your hands and then wash up. Leave the kale to "rest" for a while before you eat it. 30 minutes is a minimum, an hour is better and a couple of hours is fine. You can actually use a plastic bag instead of a bowl, put it in a cooler and drive it to a picnic site several hours away.

After the kale has rested (and is in a bowl if it started in a plastic bag) you can sprinkle some more Parmesan over the top if you wish. Or use shaved Parmesan as the Boston Globe suggests if you want to go to the extra trouble. Also sprinkle the pine nuts over the top. Don't bother to mix half of them in as they'll fall to the bottom anyway.

This dish is good anywhere you need a robust, fairly healthy salad. It also works well as the vegetable component of a meal with a room-temperature protein such as a smoked fish or sliced chicken breast.