Salad of Kale, Orange Beets, and Creamy Orange Dressing v.2

Another kale salad, and I think it’s a good one. The process of crumpling the kale does something that makes the kale sweeter, and the beets match the earthiness of the kale. The cucumbers add a nice hit of cool moisture that goes well with the dry salt flavor of the pistachios.

INGREDIENTS:

1 bunch Scotch or Lacinato kale, stemmed and leaves torn into bite-sized bits

1 bunch of Orange Beets (see recipe)

1 cucumber, cut lengthwise, seeded, cut into 3/16^th inch thick slices

¼ cup trimmed scallion whites thinly sliced, or red onion, thinly sliced and placed in ice-water for 15 minutes and dried thoroughly

1/3^rd cup lightly salted pistachio nuts, shelled

1 cup Creamy Orange Dressing v.2 (See recipe)

METHOD:

Put the kale into a large bowl and squeeze handfuls until it darkens a little and you can feel it losing a little of it’s tough structure. Splash in enough dressing to coat the kale, then toss to mix dressing in. Add half the beets, season with a little salt and pepper and toss to combine. Divide evenly amongst 4 plates.

Put the rest of the beets into the bowl and mix into the dressing. If needed, add more dressing to lightly coat the beets. Add in the cucumbers, toss to mix in, and distribute evenly between the plates.

Scatter with onions, then pistachios. Serve.

Serves: 4

Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen