LaraThalice: Massaged Kale with Dressing

I bet that title really pulled you in..."Kale Salad...Let me just stop everything because this is gonna be good." Okay, listen. It is not the most exciting sounding recipe but I think you need to keep...parmesan...reading just a little bit...soy sauce...longer.

I promise...garlic...this recipe will not...lemon...be anywhere near as dull as its name.

Also, having just given birth and now a mom to an 8-week-old, I find that I am really craving hearty veggies, especially leafy greens, and having little time (read: zero) to cook, this recipe
provides two key things: no cooking and those leafy greens.

I think one of the coolest things about kale is that is can be treated like lettuce in a cold salad, and you can dress it all fancy and stuff, and then the next day, the salad is almost better than the day you served it! Can lettuce make this same claim? I think not. Next-day regular salad creeps me out. The lettuce is all wilty/slimy and just up to no good. But kale? It's like those runners you see in race-day recap photos, the ones that are smiling and have perfectly applied makeup and great hair and are just crossing their 6th mile. Kale does that kind of thing in salads. It looks great after a dressing marathon.

The other cool thing about kale is that it continues to thrive in the snow! So, if you are in denial that winter is upon us, kale helps you stay in denial.

I really could go on and on. I just love the whole kale trend that seemed to come out of nowhere one day and hasn’t gone away. I also enjoy the fact that in the midst of a newborn running my schedule, this recipe is quick and delicious, and the post is just as quick ;)

Massaged Kale with Dressing

(originally featured in Rockland, Maine’s The Free Press Home & Garden section, by Georgeanne Davis: http://freepressonline.com/main.asp?SectionID=50&SubSectionID=76&ArticleID=22592)
serves: 4-6 | prep time: 20 min

2 bunches fresh kale – I like to do a combo of curly kale and Tuscan kale (or Lacinato) (You can also use the pre-torn kale but we’ve found that there really is a difference in using the fresh bunches. The pre-torn lacked flavor, and with these few ingredients, you don’t want your main ingredient lacking!)
½ c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
¹/₃ c. cup olive oil
¼ c. freshly squeezed lemon juice (We actually do ¹/₃ cup)
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 T soy sauce
1 minced anchovy fillet (We haven’t tried this yet)
½ tsp. sea salt
½ tsp. black pepper

Tear the kale from kale stems.
I think the most efficient way to do this is to grab the base of the stem with one hand and with your free hand, loop your index finger and thumb around the base, and slide down the stem to its point, ripping the leaf off as you go.