TUSCAN KALE SALAD

My visits to the farmers market are starting to become more interesting. For the first time since last winter, I am seeing the vendors tables filled with many shades of green. Wild greens are in season right now, but for me, everything pales in comparison to the regal lacinato kale (cavolo nero in Italian) more commonly called Tuscan kale.

This emerald green variety of kale has a long tradition in Italian cuisine. In Tuscany it has been grown for centuries and used in some of the most famous Tuscan dishes, hence its common name Tuscan kale.

One of my favourite dishes to make this season is Tuscan kale salad. It’s the perfect healthy starter or side dish to accompany any autumn feast.

To make this salad you will need Tuscan kale, ideally organic and please make sure that you buy the right kind of kale. Tuscan kale is emerald green and has flat firm leaves. The other variety more easily found is curly kale, but it’s very bitter and has a tough texture so I don’t recommend it for this recipe.

You will also need pine nuts, lemon, sea salt, olive oil and shaved parmesan or vegan cheese. This is a simple recipe with few ingredients that will transform into a delicious and nutritious dish once combined.

JUMP TO RECIPE

HEALTH BENEFITS

Kale is a great source of vitamins and minerals. It’s packed with vitamins A, C, K, B6, and is super high in fibre, protein, magnesium, calcium, folate, iron, beta carotene, selenium and more.

Eating kale raw can activate detoxifying enzymes in the liver. It is also very nutrient-dense and low-calorie! This is why kale is considered to be a superfood!

This salad also includes pine nuts (pignoli in Italian) which are high in vitamins and minerals. Pine nuts come from the pine cones of pine trees. In Italy, we have the Pinus Pinea variety that is native to the Mediterranean and has been a backdrop of the Italian landscape for centuries.

Harvesting pine nuts is a labour-intensive process and each tree produces only about 1 kilo of pine nuts per season. This is why pine nuts are considered to be one of the most expensive nuts.

However, my motto has always been ‘quality over quantity’ and you only need a small number of pine nuts to enjoy their health benefits. These tiny nuts are packed with protein, iron, magnesium and vitamin E.

The pine nuts in this recipe will be toasted for extra flavour and once combined with the kale you will have a superfood salad that will give you a boost of energy to last the rest of your day.

Are you ready?

HOW TO MAKE TUSCAN KALE SALAD

This recipe is very simple to make. You will need a large bunch of lacinato kale, a handful of pine nuts, a small lemon, sea salt, good quality extra virgin olive oil and parmesan cheese, but you can use any hard cheese alternative if you don’t eat dairy.

To begin you will need to de-stem the kale. That is to strip off the leafy part of the kale from the large middle stem as I am doing in the photo above. Discard the middle stems because they are too tough to eat and add the leafy parts add to a colander ready to be washed.

After you have washed the kale you will need to dry it. You can use a salad spinner or some clean kitchen cloths or paper towels to hand dry. Ensure that the kale is completely dry before you add any dressing otherwise it won’t absorb the flavour.

As a final step to drying you can place some paper towels on a large baking tray and lay out the kale to air dry while you prep the rest of your ingredients.

FRESH VS. PACKAGED KALE

After you have dried the kale you will need to tear the leaves into smaller pieces that are more suitable for bite-size mouthfuls. I like to tear the leaves into long strips. Don’t make the pieces too small or your salad can become soggy after you’ve added the dressing.

Sometimes I prep my kale as soon as I buy it so that it’s washed and dried and waiting for me in the fridge to use however I like.

In some cities, you might find kale ready to eat in a plastic bag. To save time you can use that kale, however, remember that you will never get the full nutritional benefits from kale that has been sitting in a bag on a grocery store shelf. It’s always best to select your ingredients as fresh as possible.

It does take a little more effort to buy fresh kale, de-stem and wash it, but I promise it will taste so much better, be better for you and you will feel a sense of satisfaction knowing that you are using the best ingredients in your meal.

TOASTING PINE NUTS

The pine nuts are the perfect addition to this salad and toasting them enhances their flavour. I prefer to toast them on the stovetop in a pan. I find this to be a good way to control the temperature, you can stir them continuously and make sure they don’t burn.

Also, make sure your pan is dry you don’t need to add any oil to it. Turn the heat to medium-high and stir the pine nuts. Once the pine nuts turn golden brown turn off the heat and transfer to a plate.

MASSAGING & DRESSING KALE

Next, you will make the lemon dressing. This is the traditional dressing that accompanies this salad. Lemon compliments the flavour of the kale perfectly. Squeeze out the juice of 1 small lemon into a bowl, add 3 tablespoons of olive oil and a dash of salt. Now whisk the ingredients to create your dressing. Put the dressing aside.

Now grab your kale pieces and put them in a large salad bowl. Add two tablespoons of olive oil (not your dressing we will add that later) this should be enough oil to lightly coat and massage your kale. You need to massage the kale with your hands like I am doing in the photo above. Massaging the kale will make it more tender and perfect for a salad.

Massage the kale for about 5 minutes. Then add the lemon dressing and massage for another minute or two so that the kale absorbs the dressing. If you are using parmesan or a hard cheese alternative add a few tablespoons to the kale and mix. The rest will be used for garnish. Also, add half of your toasted pine nuts and save the rest to add on top when serving.

Taste your kale salad to see if you are happy with the flavour. Add more lemon or olive oil if you desire. Let the salad sit for 15 minutes before serving. You could also prepare it hours before your meal. This is one of those salads that tastes better with time. I love to make extra so that I can have leftovers the next day, but it usually won’t last because it’s so yummy!

Serve this salad with extra pine nuts and vegan parmesan cheese. If you try this recipe let me know!

Tuscan Kale Salad

Yield: 4 portions

Author: Michelle Pedullà

Prep time: 20 MinTotal time: 20 Min

Ingredients

1 bunch of Lacinato kale
1 lemon
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
30 grams of pine nuts
100 grams of shaved vegan cheese (optional)
pinch of sea salt

Instructions

Step 1: De-stem the kale. Strip off the leafy part of the kale from the large stem in the middle. Discard the stem.
Step 2: Wash and dry the kale. The kale must be completely dry before the dressing is added. Please see the notes below for drying tips.
Step 3: Tear the kale into small pieces and transfer to a salad bowl.
Step 4: Prepare the lemon dressing by squeezing the juice of 1 small lemon into a bowl adding 3 tablespoons of olive oil and a dash of salt. Whisk the ingredients to create an emulsion and set the dressing aside.
Step 5: Get your salad bowl with the kale pieces, add two tablespoons of olive oil, and massage the kale with your hands for 5 minutes.
Step 6: Add the lemon dressing to the bowl of kale and massage for 1 to 2 more minutes.
Step 7: Add half of the toasted pine nuts and a few tablespoons of shaved vegan cheese (optional) to the kale and mix. Serve and enjoy!

Notes:

The kale needs to be completely dry before adding the lemon dressing. After you rinse the kale you can use a salad spinner or some clean kitchen cloths or paper towels to hand dry. If it's still not completely dry place some paper towels on a large baking tray and lay out the kale to air dry or pat dry with paper towels.