Rebecca’s Recipe of the Week: An Approachable Kale Salad | Canalside Community Food

Kale tossed with dried fruit, nuts and Greek yoghurt makes a surprisingly delicate accompaniment to a more robust main course. We ate this with a whole roasted cauliflower. (I’ll give you the recipe for that the next time we get a cauliflower in the veg share.)

You can use either the dark green cavolo nero kale (aka lacinato kale), or the ordinary frilly kale. Massaging the leaves with oil converts these assertive greens into tender mouthfuls of flavour.

Creamy Kale Salad
Serves 2

Ingredients
150g kale
2 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
1 tablespoon full-fat Greek yoghurt or mayonnaise
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons currants or dried cranberries
2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds or cashews

Preparation
First prepare the kale: remove the tough central stalk by running each leaf between your thumb and forefinger to separate the leaves from the stalk. Discard the central stalk and shred the leaves. Wash and dry the shredded leaves and set aside in a serving bowl.

Add the oil to the kale and use your hands to massage the oil into the leaves for several minutes, until the leaves turn a darker green. This makes them softer and more tender. Squeeze in the lemon juice, toss, and add the yoghurt or mayonnaise. Toss again, and season to taste. Sprinkle in the dried fruit.

Heat a small frying pan over medium heat and add the pumpkin seeds or cashews. Toast gently until the seeds start to pop, or the cashews turn golden. Add the nuts or seeds to the salad, toss a final time, and serve.