recipe: lemony kale salad with dates and almonds
I’m obsessed with kale right now and it appears that I’m not alone. My Facebook posts about kale got immediate and fervent responses - the sort that seem to only come when people talk about Glee or newborns. A surprising number of kale commenters demanded recipes from me. What follows is my best attempt at food blogging.
Lemony Kale Salad with Dates and Almonds
4 small side dish servings
All quantities are approximate. I suggest you freestyle. Dates and almonds were on hand when I first made this and we like the combo, but you should swap out freely. Any dried fruit could sub for the dates, and I bet that toasted hazelnuts or pine nuts would be lovely in place of almonds.
You Need:
3-4 garlic cloves, peeled
kosher salt
2 lemons
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
A bunch of kale - I like black kale
4 pitted dates
1 small handful marcona almonds (about 2 tbsp)
1. Roughly chop the garlic, then smash it to a pulp with about a 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt. I use a mortar & pestle for this, but you could chop it super fine and smash it with the side of a big knife too. Put it in a small bowl, add the juice of the 2 lemons (3-4 tbsp) and whisk. Add the olive oil and whisk again. Let this sit while you get everything else ready.
2. Strip the kale from the stalks and chop into 1-2 inch strips. Put these in a medium mixing bowl.
3. Add the garlic/lemon dressing and toss.
4. Chop up the dates into eighths. Throw them in the bowl.
5. Crush the almonds a little bit in your mortar & pestle. You can also do the knife smash or wrap them in a dish towel and bash them with the bottom of a pan. You want almond pieces, not powder - don’t go crazy.
6. Toss it all together and taste. It is going to be pretty tart & lemony. Is that ok with you? You can always add a little honey or more oil if not. You might think it needs salt and/or pepper and who am I to tell you it doesn’t? I think the salt from the almonds and the garlic is enough, but you can be the boss of your own salad.
7. Put it on a plate and eat it up.
