Kale Caesar Salad Recipe
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Recipe Overview
Preparation time: 7 minutes
Cooking time: 7 minutes
Serves: 6 as a side dish
This salad is best started 1 day ahead.
Ingredients Needed
- 1 bunch kale leaves, washed, dried and leaves stripped from stems (190g/6.7ozs stripped weight)
- 60ml/2flozs extra virgin olive oil
- 60g/2ozs Caesar dressing or mayonnaise
- 40g/1.7ozs pecorino cheese (or parmesan)
- Salt and Pepper
For pangrattato
- 60g/2ozs breadcrumbs (I used brioche crumbs)
- 40ml/1.7flozs extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1 PREPARE - To prepare kale, strip from the stem and wash the leaves in cold water. Dry in a tea towel making sure to blot excess water or pass through a salad spinner. Tear the leaves into bite sized pieces.
Step 2 MASSAGE - Place half the kale leaves in a bowl and pour half the olive oil over it and massage with hands well, coating the leaves well. This will reduce in volume. Add the remaining half of kale and olive oil and massage. Then massage in the dressing or mayonnaise ensuring all leaves are coated. At this stage you can place it in an airtight container and refrigerate for a night or two.
Step 3 TOAST - To make the pangrattato, place a frying pan or skillet on medium heat and add the breadcrumbs. Toast the breadcrumbs in the dry pan, stirring frequently so that the crumbs don't catch or burn. Once they are golden toasted, add the olive oil and stir to crisp up the breadcrumbs. They should be delicious and crispy. Add the garlic powder and saute for 30 seconds, then remove from the heat. Cool completely.
Step 4 SERVE - Finely grate 3/4 of the cheese over the kale leaves and toss. Place the leaves onto a serving platter. Grate the remaining 1/4 of the cheese on top. Then add the pangrattato on top just before serving.
Personal Note
This is a great salad to bring along to picnic because it doesn't wilt. I like to bring it along to Elliott parties and I just add some avocado to it. A few Elliotts have had their birthday and usually the Elliotts give each other a huge box of fruit and everyone puts in for it and they end up with a delicious box of seasonal fruit.
It was Manu's birthday and his sister Amaya put together a big fruit box. In the box was a massive avocado that weighed an enormous 1.247kgs. Everyone was hoping that he would open it up and he did with his hands as it was perfectly ripe. "What do we do with it now?" some asked and someone suggested guacamole.
"I can make it!" I said remembering that I had all the ingredients except for coriander in my fridge. And then with the leftover we also added some into this salad because there was more avocado than anyone could even eat!
So tell me Dear Reader, would you eat this as is or would you add a protein or something else to it? Have you ever tried one of those gigantic avocadoes?
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