Tuscan Kale Salad

I had never had a kale salad until reading Melissa Clark's New York Times article. If you have access to NYT archives look this recipe up and read her description!  I won't be able to do it justice.  It was posted on Oct 24, 2007 in the Dining section.  Her eloquent description made me immediately go out and buy the ingredients and make it. She also writes a blog @ http://www.melissaclark.net/blog/.  I continue to make this often with a few minor adjustments from the original recipe, but mostly the same.

Tuscan Kale Salad with Pecorino

Ingredients

• 1 bunch Lacinato kale (also known as Tuscan or Black Kale)
• 1/2 garlic clove crushed with a pinch of kosher salt
• 1/4 cup finely grated pecorino cheese, plus more for garnish
• 1/4 cup high-quality, extra virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish
• Freshly squeezed juice from 1 lemon
• Freshly ground black pepper and sea salt, to taste

Preparation

Trim bottom 2 inches off kale stems and discard. Slice kale, including ribs, into 3/4-inch-wide ribbons.  You should have 4 to 5 cups.  Place kale in a large bowl.

Juice lemon - you want at least 2 Tablespoons of juice, so juice another lemon if you don't get enough from one.  Using a mortar and pestle, or with the back of a knife, pound garlic with salt into a paste.  Transfer garlic into a small bowl.  Add ¼ cup cheese, a 1/4 cup olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper flakes, and black pepper, and whisk to combine.  Pour dressing over kale and toss very well to thoroughly combine (dressing will be thick and needs lots of tossing to coat leaves).

Let salad sit 5 minutes, then serve topped with additional cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.

Serves 2-4.