I wish I had the time to tell you the incredible and delicious story of my week in Charleston. I really do. All the great moments with Helen as we hung out, shared stories, collaborated on a really great project. Those details will have to wait. There is a nearly-week long shoot coming up & a television commercial looming...as well as one heck of a bake sale.
One thing I can tell you about last week was that Helen changed my life forever by introducing me to the salad you see before you. A quick stop at EarthFare (something we don't have in Atlanta, darnit) for lunch noshes scored us a one-pound container of this stuff. We ate it for lunch - and dinner - on several occasions (and ended up buying a second pound) vowing to recreate it when I got home.
Here it is - this is a dead ringer for their recipe and cheaper to make at home. Believe me when I tell you that it will take you 10 minutes to make this salad...and 10 minutes to eat a batch of it. This recipe may make more dressing than required but I'd rather you have a little extra (for a marinade or something) than not enough. Just add the dressing in steps until the kale is coated but it isn't soupy at the bottom of the bowl. You must have patience here - this salad gets better with time so don't cheat and eat it straight away. A couple hours of marination changes the texture of the kale & allows for deep flavor.
Sesame Kale Salad - serves 4 to 6 as a side dish (or 2 people if you're Helen and me!)
- 1 pound of kale leaves once the tough stems & ribs are removed and roughly chopped - I used the prebagged & washed variety
- 2 large roasted piquillo peppers or roasted red bell peppers, cut into thin, bite-sized strips
- 3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- In a small bowl, whisk together the sesame oil, soy sauce and vinegar until completely emulsified. Set aside at room temperature.
- In a larger mixing bowl, place kale and pepper strips. Drizzle in dressing and mix the greens and dressing thoroughly - I used my hands for this. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and mix once more until evenly distributed. Cover bowl with its lid or well fitting plastic wrap. Chill for 4 hours to overnight.
