Kale Salad with Pecorino and Walnuts

🥘 Ingredients

• breadcrumbs (panko or slightly coarse homemade, 15 grams or 1/2 ounce, from a thin slice of hearty bread)
  1/4 cup
• freshly ground black pepper or red pepper flakes (to taste)
• garlic (tiny clove, minced or pressed)
  1
• kale (tuscan, about 14 ounces or 400 grams, also known as black or lacinato kale; this is the thinner, flatter leaf variety, washed and patted dry)
  1 bunch
• lemon (juice of half a)
• olive oil
  3 tablespoons
• pecorino cheese (55 grams, 1/2 cup total, grated or ground in a food processor, which makes it delightfully rubbly)
  2 ounces
• raisins (golden, 45 grams or 1 1/2 ounces)
  1/4 cup
• salt (coarse or kosher)
• walnut halves or pieces (55 grams or 2 ounces ounces)
  1/2 cup
• water
  1 tablespoon
• white wine vinegar
  1 tablespoon

🍳 Cookware

• baking sheet
• saucepan
• skillet
• bowl

1. 1

   Gather freshly ground black pepper or red pepper flakes , walnut halves or pieces , pecorino cheese .

   freshly ground black pepper or red pepper flakes (to taste), walnut halves or pieces: 1/2 cup (55 grams or 2 ounces ounces), pecorino cheese: 2 ounces (55 grams, 1/2 cup total, grated or ground in a food processor, which makes it delightfully rubbly)
2. 2

   Prepare walnuts: Heat oven to 350. Toast walnuts on a baking sheet for ⏱️ 10 minutes , tossing once. Let cool and coarsely chop.
3. 3

   Prepare raisins : In a small saucepan over low heat, simmer white wine vinegar , water and raisins for ⏱️ 5 minutes , until plump and soft. Set aside in liquid.

   raisins: 1/4 cup (golden, 45 grams or 1 1/2 ounces), white wine vinegar: 1 tablespoon, water: 1 tablespoon
4. 4

   Prepare crumbs: Toast bread crumbs, garlic and 2 teaspoons of the olive oil in a skillet together with a pinch of salt until golden. Set aside.

   garlic: 1 (tiny clove, minced or pressed), olive oil: 3 tablespoons, salt (coarse or kosher)
5. 5

   Prepare kale : Trim heavy stems off kale and remove ribs. I always find removing the ribs annoying with a knife, because the leaves want to roll in on the knife and make it hard to get a clean cut. Instead, I’ve taken to tearing the ribs off with my fingers, which is much easier for me. Stack sections of leaves and roll them into a tube, then cut them into very thin ribbons crosswise.

   kale: 1 bunch (tuscan, about 14 ounces or 400 grams, also known as black or lacinato kale; this is the thinner, flatter leaf variety, washed and patted dry)
6. 6

   Assemble salad: Put kale in a large bowl . Add pecorino, walnuts and raisins (leaving any leftover vinegar mixture in dish), remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and lemon juice and toss until all the kale ribbons are coated. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt, pepper and some of the reserved vinegar mixture from the raisins, if needed. Let sit for ⏱️ 10 minutes before serving, if you can, as it helps the ingredients come together. Just before serving, toss with breadcrumbs and, if needed, a final 1 teaspoon drizzle of olive oil.

   lemon (juice of half a), breadcrumbs: 1/4 cup (panko or slightly coarse homemade, 15 grams or 1/2 ounce, from a thin slice of hearty bread)