Kale salad

• 1 large bunchkale · stems removed, torn, about 8 cups
• 1lemon · juiced, divided
• 3 tbspextra-virgin olive oil · divided
• 1/2 tspkosher salt
• 1/3 cupgrated parmesan
• 1/4 cuppumpkin or sunflower seeds · toasted
• 1 clovegarlic · grated
• 1 tspDijon mustard
• 1/4 tspblack pepper

Methode

1. 1

   Strip the tough stems

   Kale stems are fibrous and stay tough no matter what you do, so pull the leaves off the central rib and discard the stems, or save them for a stock. Tear the leaves into bite-size pieces. This is the unglamorous prep that makes the salad pleasant to eat.

2. 2

   Massage the kale, this is the whole recipe

   Add a little lemon juice, olive oil and salt to the torn leaves and scrunch and massage them with your hands for a minute or two. The leaves darken, soften and shrink as the acid and salt break down the tough cell walls. Raw un-massaged kale is chewy and bitter; massaged kale is tender and sweet.

3. 3

   Use lacinato kale if you can

   Lacinato, also called dinosaur or cavolo nero, is flatter, more tender and less bitter than curly kale, and it massages beautifully. Curly kale works too and holds dressing well in its ruffles, it just needs a slightly more vigorous massage.

4. 4

   Toast the seeds for crunch and flavour

   Toast pumpkin or sunflower seeds in a dry pan until they pop and smell nutty. Toasting wakes up their flavour and adds a crucial crunch against the soft leaves. Toasted nuts work too, but seeds keep it nut-free.

5. 5

   Parmesan and a sharp lemon dressing

   Grated parmesan brings salt and savour, and a bright lemon-Dijon dressing ties it together. Kale can take an assertive dressing without wilting, so do not be shy. Taste and adjust, it usually wants more lemon and salt than a lettuce salad would.

6. 6

   It gets better as it sits

   Unlike lettuce salads, a dressed kale salad improves over a few hours and holds for a day in the fridge as the leaves continue to soften. That makes it a rare salad you can actually meal prep. Add the seeds just before serving so they stay crunchy.