I made this salad the night that I got back from berry picking in Illinois. I bought the kale and strawberries at the farm and it made a huge difference. The ingredients were fresh and for a second, I forgot that I was eating a salad (which is the true test of salads, in my humble opinion).
My favorite part about this salad besides the berries is the red onion/avocado combo. I used to hate putting raw red onions in salad because I thought that they were too strong. I usually soak them in red wine vinegar to make them softer and more palatable.
In this salad, though, they shine. I realized that eating raw red onion and avocado is basically like eating guac. Once I figured that out, I enjoyed this salad even more. I tried to get an equal ratio of red onion and avocado in each forkful.
A word to the wise about making kale salads: Kale tends to be kind of tough and springy when you buy it. It often needs some taming before it makes its way into a salad.
A few years ago when I was still in grad school, I saw a chef at a bakery in Chicago sprinkle some sea salt on raw kale and then massage the leaves for about 30 seconds. Then she let the leaves sit for a while while she assembled the rest of the salad. By the time she added the other ingredients, the leaves were softer and easier to eat. I do the same thing now whenever I make kale salad.
In other news, here’s a song that I’ve been jamming out to lately. It’s good to play while chopping vegetables, making salad, hiding in your office reading the third Elena Ferrante novel, or pretty much whenever.
Kale Salad with Strawberries, Avocado, and Goat Cheese (from me, to you)
Ingredients
1 bunch of kale, leaves removed and roughly chopped
1/2 cup strawberries, sliced in half
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 avocado, sliced
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
sea salt
pepper
juice from half a lemon
olive oil
Directions
Place the kale leaves in a large bowl and sprinkle some sea salt on top, about 1/4 tsp. Massage the leaves for a few seconds and then leave the bowl on the counter while you slice the rest of the ingredients.
To assemble the salad, place the strawberries, red onion, avocado, and goat cheese on top. Squeeze some lemon juice on top and drizzle on some olive oil. Sprinkle generously with black pepper and a little more sea salt. Enjoy!
I’m going to be coming at you with A LOT of strawberry recipes the next few days. You’ve been warned.
I managed to avoid the crowds by getting there early. I rode in a tractor with a bunch of families out to the fields. Once we got there, I wandered to the back where only a few women and men were picking. It was calmer and less noisy. Most of the families with small kids tended to stay near the front.
Even though I wouldn’t pick berries for an entire day, doing it for an hour was fun and relaxing. There’s something thrilling about finding the perfect ripened berry, even if you do it twenty times in a row. Every time feels like the first time.
I had a bunch of recipe ideas for the berries but I was most excited about making a strawberry pistachio galette. I love anything with pistachios and strawberries, so I decided to combine them for this recipe.
I’m thinking about heading out to a real farm on Sunday to pick strawberries. Until then, I have a lot to tide me over.
In other news, I recently bought a ceramic teapot with a built in loose leaf tea strainer and it is LIFE CHANGING. I’m not exaggerating. There’s something very soothing about being able to have a small teapot on my desk in the morning and to casually refill my mug with tea.
I like that Russell’s doesn’t skimp on the bacon. It got to the point where some of it was falling out of the sandwich, which made me love it even more. I didn’t want the experience to end. I resignedly ate my potato chips and started planning when I was going to come back for round two.
allezlefood.com 