Seared Kale Salad with Brown Butter-Toasted Pine Nuts and Smoked Bacon
3.8
(1)
This salad is the answer to people who think they don't like leafy greens. Good kale has a deep, almost meaty flavor. Searing it and mixing it with brown-butter-drenched pine nuts, sweet raisins, and salty Parmesan cheese is a no-fail treatment. Most other hearty greens like beet greens, dandelion greens, or radish tops would also be good in this dish.
To toast the pine nuts, start by melting a couple of generous spoonfuls of butter in a pan over medium-high heat. When it becomes frothy, add nuts. Cook, stirring constantly. Once they smell faintly nutty and look golden, transfer them to a paper-towel-lined dish to drain. They will continue cooking and browning from the residual heat, so be sure to pull them off just a shade paler than you'd like.
Recipe information
Yield
Serves 4–6
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Roughly chop or tear kale into bite-size pieces.
Step 2
In a large skillet, add just enough oil to coat the bottom and heat over a high flame until it smokes. Add just enough kale to make one layer. Cook kale until it is slightly softened and bright green but still crunchy, giving it a toss every couple minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Transfer kale to a large bowl, and allow it to cool; it will continue to soften. Cook the rest of the kale in batches, wiping out your skillet after each batch.
Step 3
Coat the skillet with oil. Set it over low heat and add shallot. Sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt, then pour in the wine and 1/4 cup water. Bring to a boil and then immediately turn the heat down to a slow simmer. Let the liquid reduce until it has almost but not quite evaporated, about 10 minutes. Pour the contents of the skillet over cooked kale and allow it to cool.
Step 4
Return the cooled skillet over low heat and add bacon. Slowly render the fat until bacon is crispy. Transfer bacon to a paper-towel-lined dish to drain. Add to kale.
Step 5
Top kale with raisins and nuts. Squeeze lemon over the top and add Parmesan to taste. Toss all to combine.
Recipe notes
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