First dinner back in Columbus after a wonderful week of wining, dining, exploring and walking in NYC, chicken soup and Kale and Quinoa Salad. Simple but hit the spot after all that delicious food from restaurants. I’ve made this salad many times but just this time realized a personal connection to New York, other than the recipe’s creator, Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen, being from NYC. One reason that I enjoy food blogs is the stories that the authors tell about how they discovered the particular recipe and the processes of going about creating it. Ms. Smitten Kitchen mentioned having this salad at The Smith. My daughter had recommended we have lunch at The Smith. We didn’t this time around but next time…
As far as the recipe goes, use ingredients that you like or have. I used dried blueberries in place of the cherries, didn’t have almonds so used pine nuts instead, no ricotta salata so replaced it with feta.
Kale and Quinoa Salad with Ricotta Salata https://smittenkitchen.com/2014/03/kale-and-quinoa-salad-with-ricotta-salata/
Yield: 2 to 3 quite large meal salads or 4 to 5 side salads; salad will wilt a bit and seem smaller the longer it sits with the dressing.
Salad
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa (or 1 1/2 cups cooked)
8 ounces Black Kale, also known as Cavolo Nero, or Lacinato, Dinosaur, or Tuscan Kale
1/2 cup slivered almonds, very well toasted and cooled
1/3 cup dried cherries, chopped a bit
2 to 3 scallions, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
2 ounces ricotta salata, crumbled or finely grated
Few gratings of fresh lemon zest
Dressing
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons smooth Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon coarse Dijon mustard
Just shy of 1 teaspoon honey
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Rinse quinoa well in a small colander. This is essential to remove bitterness. Place quinoa and 1 1/2 cups water in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer with a couple pinches of salt. Simmer at a very low temperature for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender. Drain any un-absorbed liquid from cooked quinoa. Spread quinoa on a plate to cool quickly.
Wash your kale and dry it well. Then, with a knife, remove the rib from each stalk, leaving long strips of kale leaves. Stack the leaves in small batches, roll them tightly the long way, and cut the roll crosswise into thin ribbons. Add the kale ribbons to a large salad bowl. Add remaining salad ingredients to kale and toss to mix.
Whisk dressing ingredients together in a small dish, and pour the dressing over the salad. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then dig in.
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