Look at me, trying to be hip! Kale, it’s a trend. It’s one of those weird “how can a vegetable be a trend?” kind of things. I have no answer for you on that, but I do know that everyone is going crazy for kale. Krazy for kale? Ew, no. I go crazy when people spell krazy with a K. #gross
Really though, I love kale. I like dark leafy greens in general, and am pretty darn fascinated with kale. It’s SO THICK. How the heck did that happen? My mind is blown. Also: kale chips. Please tell me you’ve had them, because if you haven’t… GET ON IT. I realized back there writing “kale chips” I should have a recipe (and therefore link) for you here. I don’t. I’m a bad person. Maybe I’ll work on that this week. Pro tip: use the Google and make yourself some kale chips.
To be honest with you, I don’t think I had kale until college. We didn’t have it growing up, and all I knew was that a friend at school had Kale as a middle name. I thought that was hilarious: a vegetable middle name? Get out. I say this knowing full well that my last name will be Loudermilk in less than 5 months. #HECKYES
This kale caesar was born of my desire to try my hand at a caesar dressing, but not really liking traditional caesar greens options. Kale it is! I started by massaging the kale with oil — it sounds weird, but just do it anyways. After a minute or two the kale will relax and be a little easier to manage. Again: fascinating.
In looking for a caesar dressing recipe, I found a lot of discrepancy as to how to make a good caesar dressing. My priorities were 1: not needing to use 1/2 an egg anywhere, 2: having the ingredients on hand, 3: no mayonaise. Hence my recipe below was born! The key part, though, is the crouton. MAKE THESE CROUTONS ASAP. I’m not even kidding, they are incredible. If you like butter/salt/spice. If not, you may not be human. Get that checked out.
- 2 anchovy fillets, rinsed and finely chopped
- 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 large egg
- 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 dash Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ¾ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1 bunch kale, stems removed, chopped
- In a bowl, use the back of a spoon to mash the anchovy fillets and garlic into a paste. Sprinkle in a little bit of salt to aid in the paste-making.
- Whisk in the egg, lemon juice, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce until smooth.
- Slowly whisk in the olive oil, starting with a very thin drizzle and whisking vigorously until totally incorporated.
- Mix in ½ cup of the grated cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- With a tiny bit of olive oil, massage the kale leaves for about 2 minutes. Get every inch of the leaves. They will soften.
- Toss the leaves with a few Tablespoons of dressing at a time, until coated to your liking. Top with croutons and grated cheese.
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