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Prep time
15 minutes
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Makes
4 large salads
Author Notes
Every bite of this filling, easy-to-prep kale salad is different and interesting given its big jumble of flavors and textures: rich salami, crisp apple, chewy-tart cranberries, sharp-salty pecorino, and toasty walnuts. It’s all tied together by a lemon-walnut vinaigrette that features a nifty hack for walnut oil: Finely grate walnuts with a microplane (they’ll look like a snowy mound on your counting board!) and whisk them into your vinaigrette. Not only do they add body and texture, but their natural oils infuse with the olive oil, essentially creating a walnut oil without the need to buy those pricey, perishable bottles! Other nuts such as pecans, almonds, and hazelnuts can be treated the same way. Like with most kale salads, this one gets better after it sits and can be made up to a full day in advance. —EmilyC
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Ingredients
- For the lemon-walnut vinaigrette
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8
toasted walnut halves
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1 tablespoon
finely grated lemon zest + 3 tablespoons juice from 2 lemons
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6 tablespoons
extra-virgin olive oil
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1/2 teaspoon
Aleppo pepper, or a lesser amount of red pepper flakes
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1 pinch
kosher salt, to taste
- For the rest of the salad
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1
large tart apple (such as honey crisp), cored, halved, and thinly sliced
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2
bunches Tuscan kale, trimmed, ribs removed, and sliced into thin ribbons (about 8 to 9 cups in total)
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1 pinch
kosher salt, to taste
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1/2 cup
toasted and chopped walnuts (use leftover walnut pieces from vinaigrette)
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1/2 cup
dried cranberries (or another dried fruit in bite-sized pieces)
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1 cup
finely grated pecorino romano (or another hard, nutty cheese)
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1 cup
salami (about 3 ounces), sliced into thin ribbons
Directions
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To make the vinaigrette: With a microplane, grate the walnuts, one at a time, until you have 3 tablespoons of shavings. (Tip: grate about 3/4 of each walnut, taking care to not nick your fingers, and save the leftover walnut pieces for the salad.) In a bowl or a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the grated walnuts with the lemon zest (use the same microplane to zest the lemon) and the rest of the ingredients. Whisk (or shake) until emulsified and adjust salt and acidity to taste.
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In a small bowl, toss the apple slices with about a tablespoon of the vinaigrette to prevent discoloration. Set aside.
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Add kale to a large salad bowl, and season with a few pinches of kosher salt. Using your hands, toss and massage about 3 to 4 tablespoons of the vinaigrette into the leaves, adding more vinaigrette if needed (I usually don't use the full amount). Toss in the apples and remaining ingredients. Serve immediately, or make up to a full day in advance. (Note that the apple may lose some of its crispness over a day’s time, so add the apple before serving if you like.)
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