My husband likes to joke that waiting for good food is a hobby of mine. It’s true, I’ve been known to wait hours to satisfy a curiosity about something on “my list”, which truth be told is mostly a mental list despite many technological solutions. (I suppose that’s the Elder Millennial in me.) I certainly built a tolerance for long wait periods while living in San Francisco. Rarely did I return to the same spot; however, my lunch breaks were an exception. About fifteen minutes’ walk from At&t park (which was next to the office I worked in) exists a place called Darwin Café. I had just enough time during my lunch break to walk briskly over to the cafe, wait in line, order, and then walk/jog back to my office and clock back in just in time, sometimes with five beautiful minutes to get a head start on eating. Bites eaten between calls were savored. Darwin Café serves some of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had, however, I most often returned for the kale salad. I’ve ordered it countless times and it was certainly one of my last meals before leaving my beloved city. A salad! I love this so much I had to re-create a Darwin Cafe copycat kale salad to enjoy at home! When I make this salad for myself now it is something of a homecoming for me, every nook and cranny of kale just drenched in vibrant flavor, much like the nooks and crannies of San Francisco. I’ve made this salad for parties and picnics since it travels well on account of kale’s sturdy nature, it never fails to please.
This week I’ve used red kale in a departure from the usual use of Lacinato or dino kale. Red kale was available in my CSA box, however, this week our CSA box features the latter so if you subscribe to the same box you are in luck! The bag of Tuscan kale from Trader Joe’s, or any store really, will do just fine here too. In terms of technique, I like to use a “massage” method to prep my greens and break them down a bit so they are more pleasant to the palate. If you were making this salad in advance maybe do less of the “massaging” as the lemon and olive oil will eventually soften the greens. I also think it’s important to dress the kale with lemon and olive oil at the same time along with the garlic, just grate it with a Microplane directly into the bowl. Go ahead and toss with your hands, this will also continue your “massage” work and ensure every leaf is covered. I do however prefer to drizzle balsamic on top of the salad after the rest of the dressing so that I get bigger tastes of it here and there which creates a little variation in bites. I have a nice 18 year aged balsamic but find that balsamic glaze works well too. You can buy a good one at Trader Joe’s or even make it yourself with regular balsamic vinegar and some sugar reduced together in a pan. Cool before using here. Also, I couldn’t get my hands on diced pancetta which I usually use in this recipe, so I baked prosciutto and it turned out delicious! As with anything, taste and adjust your salad to your liking, you may prefer adjusting the garlic or salt level, whatever you like!
Darwin Café Copycat Kale Salad
Ingredients
- 1 large bunch kale Lacinato kale or red kale, washed and dried well
- 5 slices prosciutto crisped (optional)
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ lemon zest and juice
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic grated
- 1 – 2 tablespoons aged balsamic or balsamic glaze
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- If crisping prosciutto: bake on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or Silpat mat in a 400-degree oven, 8-10 minutes or until crisp. Once done place on a paper towel to cool, prosciutto will crisp further as it cools.
- Place dried kale in a mixing bowl with ½ tsp salt. Massage kale with salt until it breaks down a bit but is not soggy.
- Dress salad with lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, and olive oil directly on top of the greens. Toss well and massage a bit more to combine, use your hands! Taste and adjust dressing and seasoning as desired. Drizzle with balsamic.
- Break crisp prosciutto into pieces and top salad with them. Grate parmesan directly over the salad until it is covered in a soft blanket of cheese.