The Kale “caesar” that will make you like kale

Back when I was catering, this was our most popular salad. Tangy, garlicky, cheesy and very much reminiscent of a classic caesar, the best thing about it from a caterers standpoint was that you could make it ahead of time, which is also what makes it a great “make ahead” camping recipe.

We are going to dress the kale with a super simple dressing, add freshly grated parmesan, and the dressing will slowly tenderize the kale. Yet because kale is a sturdy green, you can leave it in the cooler for a couple days, and it is just as tasty as on day one. I usually hold off on adding the croutons/ breadcrumbs until I am ready to eat, so they do not get soggy.

The kale “caesar” that will make you like kale

Perfect for camping because it gets better with time

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Ingredients

  

• 1 bunch kale, stemmed, washed, and roughly chopped
• 2 ounces parmesan cheese roughly half a small wedge
• 2 cups breadcrumbs homemade croutons, or simply dried breadcrumbs, not store bought panko style

Lemon garlic dressing

• 2 lemons
• 4-5 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/4 cup olive oil this is approximate
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 drizzle honey if necessary

Instructions

 

• Make dressing
• Crush 4-5 cloves of peeled garlic with the flat of your knife, and place in a container to make the dressing in. I like to use a pint size canning jar, but a bowl is fine.
• Juice your lemons into the jar.
• Add olive oil in equal proportion to the lemon juice. The recipe amounts listed are approximate only, as you never know how much juice your lemons will yield. You are looking for a 50-50 proportion of lemon juice to olive oil.
• Leave at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, up to 2 hours. You are just looking to infuse your dressing with garlic, which we will then remove.
• To finish the dressing, fish the garlic cloves out of the jar ( you can use them for something else), and add salt , and possibly honey, to taste. If your lemons are particularly sweet, you may not need honey at all. The dressing should be both tart and salty, as it does not take much dressing to coat the kale.
• Give the dressing a good shake, and pour a little in the bowl with your kale.
• Toss everything ( your hands are the best tool for this) to incorporate. You want all the kale leaves to be coated, but not dripping, so start with a little at a time, and add more as necessary. Start grating the parmesan over the kale , tossing to incorporate. A little at a time is best, to get even distribution of grated parmesan.
• The salad is best 2-3 hours after adding the dressing, which allows it to tenderize the kale, and is still tasty 2-3 days later. I usually wait to add the breadcrumbs until just before serving.