Kale Salad with Pecorino + Walnuts

adapted from Smitten Kitchen
by Carol Hutchinson
serves 8

½ cup walnut halves or pieces

¼ cup golden raisins

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon water

¼ cup panko or slightly coarse homemade breadcrumbs

1 small clove garlic, minced or pressed

Coarse or kosher salt

3 tablespoon olive oil

1 bunch Tuscan kale (also known as black or lacinato), washed and patted dry

2 ounces pecorino cheese, graded or ground in a food processor

Juice of half a lemon

Freshly ground black pepper

Heat oven to 350° F. Toast walnuts on a baking sheet for 10 minutes, tossing once. Let cool and coarsely chop.

In a small saucepan over low heat, simmer white wine vinegar, water and raisins for 5 minutes, until plump and soft. Set aside in liquid.

Toast bread crumbs, garlic and 2 teaspoons of the olive oil in a skillet together with a pinch of salt until golden. Set aside.

Trim heavy stems off kale and remove ribs. I always find removing the ribs annoying with a knife, because the leaves want to roll in on the knife and make it hard to get a clean cut. Instead, I’ve taken to tearing the ribs off with my fingers, which is much easier for me. Stack sections of leaves and roll them into a tube, then cut them into very thin ribbons crosswise.

Put kale in a large bowl. Add pecorino, walnuts and raisins (leaving any leftover vinegar mixture in dish), remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and lemon juice and toss until all the kale ribbons are coated. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt, pepper and some of the reserved vinegar mixture from the raisins, if needed. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving, if you can, as it helps the ingredients come together. Just before serving, toss with breadcrumbs and, if needed, a final 1-teaspoon drizzle of olive oil.

This salad paired well with the Asian Pork Sliders.