Kale Caesar
I'm stuck right in the middle of a super transitional, bizarre, yet mostly enjoyable phase of my life. I'm not freaking out, I'm choosing to mostly not do that. But in the midst of transition, I am periodically anxious. Time should remedy that though. I haven't got much to say but I think kale should say enough to cover up that void. Kale says a lot, because damn! It's really great. Clearly a nutritional power house with that rich green color, Kale is tasty is so many forms. While I'm a huge fan of the chip variety today I'm going with caesar. Caesar salad is comforting in the only way a salad can be comforting, familiarity. You can always count on a good Caesar and kale is a nice way to stir things up.
I snagged this simply stellar dressing recipe from none other than Bon Appetit and changed it up a tiny bit. I'm sure it's perfect the way it is but this just worked for me with what I had on hand.
Chop the garlic up very finely, then sprinkle with kosher salt and mash with the side of a large knife until it forms a paste. Add it to a small bowl with the anchovy paste, dijon, egg yolk, and lemon juice. Mix to combine. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking, making sure it stays emulsified and thick. After that, add the vegetable oil in the same fashion. Add the parmesan and a few grinds of black pepper. Taste and add extra lemon juice or salt as needed.
For the kale salad, simply remove 1 or 2 bunches of kale from the stalks and chop into smaller pieces. Drizzle the kale with a tiny bit of olive oil (1-2 tsp) and massage (yes, massage) into the leaves. Let it sit. Shave 4 or five stalks of asparagus with a peeler and add to the kale. Add dressing 1 or 2 tablespoons at a time and toss until coated but not weighed down. Finish with shaved parmesan.
1/2 small garlic clove
Kosher Salt
1/2 Tbl anchovy paste
1/4 tsp dijon mustard
1 large egg yolk
1 Tbl fresh lemon juice
2 Tbl extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbl vegetable oil
1 Tbl grated parmesan
fresh ground black pepper