Kale falls under the category of légume oublié — a vegetable that use to be grown and eaten in France, but fell out of fashion and became lost and forgotten. So lost and forgotten that, as American Kristine Beddard explains on her website The Kale Project: “Farmers and the French have absolutely no clue what kale even is.” Nor what to call it: chou frisé non-pommé, “curly cabbage without the head”, chou plume, “feathered cabbage” or chou frisé vert demi-nain, “curly-green, half dwarf cabbage”. Disappointed with not being able to find this green, super-food, Kristine started a movement to reintroduce kale to Parisians.Thanks to her efforts, the dark, leafy green vegetable is slowly making its way back into the markets and even into the grocery stores. Bravo Kristine! However, at least in my market on avenue de Saxe, they have given up trying to decide on a French name and just sell it as Kale.
Lemon juice tames the springiness of raw, curly kale and brings out its earthy flavors. The golden winter squash not only looks good sitting on bed of deep green kale – its also very delicious.
For more information on all things kale in France visit The Kale Project .
Raw Kale Salad with Winter Squash
Ingredients
- Serves 4 - 6
- 1 bunch of kale, roughly 1 lb (450 kg)
- 2 lemons
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 5 tablespoons olive oil, more as needed
- 1 lb (450 g) firm fleshed winter squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1½ inch cubes
- 4 ounces pecorino cheese
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Pull or cut the kale away from the hard stems. Finely slice the leaves into thin ribbons. Place in a large salad bowl. Drizzle with the juice of one lemon and ½ teaspoon of salt. Toss until all the leaves are coated.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium skillet and add the cubed squash, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, turning now and then until just tender, about 10–15 minutes.
- While the squash is cooking toast the walnuts. Heat a dry skillet over medium heat, add the walnuts to the hot pan and cook watching constantly and tossing frequently, until the walnuts start to smell toasted and just begin to brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
- To make the dressing: roughly cube 3 ounces of the pecorino cheese and combine with the toasted walnuts and a large spoonful of the still warm, cooked squash in the bowl of a food processor (the warm squash will soften the cheese and make the sauce creamier). With the motor running, add 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the juice of one lemon. Stop the motor and taste, adjust the seasoning. The sauce should be thick and creamy but loose enough to coat the leaves of the kale. Add more olive oil and lemon if necessary.
- Toss the sautéed squash with the kale and pour the dressing over the salad. Mix well to distribute the sauce. Let the salad sit for 5 minutes, then grate the remaining pecorino cheese over the top and serve.
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https://www.charlottepuckette.com/recipes/salads/raw-kale-salad-with-winter-squash/
