roman kale salad
It’s basically a Caesar, but with more guts. Parmesan breadcrumbs add a nice crunch to each and every bite while offering some use of the stale bread in the pantry. Parsley and kale bring a bit more to the table, health-wise, than a typical romaine and crushed red pepper brings some warmth to everything.
Ingredients
3 egg yolks
1 big garlic clove (minced or grated on a Microplane)
1 teaspoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon anchovy paste (optional)
1 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
cracked black pepper
Sea Salt
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper or red pepper flakes
1 bunch dino/lacinato kale
1 bunch Italian/flat leaf parsley
1 cup toasted bread crumbs (see below)
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
Method
If you’re not familiar with making your own breadcrumbs, it’s one of the best things you can do with your leftover bread and bread ends, especially if you’re splurging on fancy sourdough loaves or baking a lot. Tear or cut bread up into small pieces and place on a baking sheet. I normally leave it out overnight to get nice and stale if the bread is fresh. Toss the bread with a bit of EVOO and a pinch of salt and bake at 300°F for ~30=40 minutes, or until bread is deep golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before blitzing in a food processor. Another option is to put the toasted bread in a bag and smash it with a rolling pin if you don’t have a food processor.
To make the dressing, place a small mixing bowl on top of a wet tea towel (so it doesn’t move around). Starting with the egg yolks in the bowl, slowly whisk in the lemon juice, Worcestershire, Dijon, anchovy paste, and minced garlic. Starting with a very light drizzle, begin whisking in the Extra Virgin Olive Oil to emulsify. Once the emulsification seems stable you can pick up the pace. Add a generous amount of freshly cracked pepper and the chili flakes. Set the dressing aside in the fridge while you prepare the salad.
Mix the bread crumbs with the grated parmesan in a small bowl and set aside. Tear the kale leaves from the stems (discard the stems) and wash the leaves. Make sure they’re dry before proceeding, or your dressing won’t stick to the leaves. Stack the kale leaves and cut down the stack to produce 1/4 inch slices. Add the chopped kale to a mixing bowl. Remove the parsley leaves from the stems and add the leaves to the mixing bowl with the kale. A small amount of stem is alright.
Add half of the dressing to the greens, then toss and massage the kale with your hands. It’s important the dressing gets worked in well. Continue adding the dressing until you’re happy with how the salad tastes, (I used about 3/4 of the batch). Mix in the parmesan breadcrumbs and a pinch of salt and serve immediately.