You're-Using-the-Wrong-Kale Salad
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For years, I wondered why my kale salad fell flat. Literally. Like anyone who has ever tried it, I’d fallen in love with the Caesar-like kale salad at Barbuto in New York’s West Village. I tried replicating it with my winning Caesar salad dressing, but it just wasn’t the same. Something about the texture. I lightened up the dressing. I massaged the kale with the dressing. I massaged it with lemon juice and salt and let it sit before adding the dressing. Nothing worked. Nothing gave me the ethereal texture of the Barbuto salad. Then one day, I bothered to ask the chef Jonathan Waxman, who conveniently happens to be a friend, the most obvious question of all: What kind of kale do you use? “Curly kale,” he said. “It’s gotta be curly kale.”
Mind blown. Like curly parsley, I’d pretty much ignored the very existence of curly kale. I reached right past its sturdy, curly leaves and went straight for its flatter, darker, more manageable-looking Tuscan cousin — Tuscan kale (also called lacinato kale, black kale, cavolo nero and dinosaur kale). But once I tried the curly kale, I understood: Those curls, when sliced, are what allow the kale not to fall into a dense pile. Instead, like Easter basket grass, the curly kale, even when dressed, has volume; there is light and air between the strands, giving a necessary levity to the sturdy and intensely flavored leaves.
Also, “massaging” kale is kind of a misnomer. It’s more like squeezing the dressing into the kale. This is no aromatherapy Swedish-type massage; we’re talking deep tissue, sports massage. We’re aiming to break down cell walls here, not to ease the kale into a restful slumber.
Leafy greens like chard, collards and kale deserve more attention: They’re inexpensive, healthy and at peak flavor in winter.
To prepare the salad, tear the kale leaves from the stems and discard the stems (or use them in stock or a smoothie). Rinse the leaves in a bowl of water and let any dirt settle on the bottom. Lift the leaves out of the bowl, leaving the dirt behind. Dry the leaves by rolling them in a dish towel or dry them in a salad spinner.
To make the vinaigrette, combine the shallot, vinegar, salt, sugar and pepper in a small bowl. Add the olive oil, whisking as you add it.
To prepare the kale, tear the kale leaves from the stems and discard the stems (or use them in stock or a smoothie). Cut the kale leaves into thin strips: Stack several leaves at a time and roll them lengthwise into a log. Cut across the log into ¼-inch-thick slices and put the sliced kale into a large wide bowl. Repeat with the remaining kale leaves.
Add the vinaigrette to the bowl with the kale and toss to combine, vigorously massaging the vinaigrette into the salad, squeezing tightly in your fists to break down the kale. Add the tomatoes, almonds, olives and onion and toss to distribute. Add the feta and gently toss. Serve immediately.
