SERVES: 2 TO 3
TIME: 45 MINUTES
Dig into this fabulously spicy twist on kale Caesar salad, devilishly dressed in a piquant and creamy paprika and roasted red pepper dressing. It’s bursting with plenty of smoked paprika for an alluring bite and Russian red kale and Massaged Red Onions (page 41) for a dramatic rosy entrée. Classic croutons are welcome here, or go bold and use broken shards of crispy flatbread crackers.
DEVILED CAESAR DRESSING
½ cup unroasted cashews
½ cup hot water
1 roasted red pepper (store-bought or homemade), seeded
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
½ teaspoon hot paprika or cayenne pepper to taste
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, peeled
2 teaspoons white (shiro) miso
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
KALE SALAD
6 cups curly or Russian red kale, washed and torn into bite-size pieces
1 recipe Classic Croutons (page 39), made with pumpernickel bread, or 6 ounces crisp flatbread crackers broken into bite-size shards
½ cup Massaged Red Onions (page 41, optional) plus sweet paprika, for garnish
1 Soak the cashews in the hot water for 30 minutes, until tender. Pulse the cashews and soaking water in a blender along with the roasted red pepper, sweet paprika, hot paprika, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, miso, and mustard. Cover and chill the dressing for 10 minutes or overnight.
2 When ready to serve, toss the dressing with the kale and croutons in a large bowl until completely coated. Transfer to serving plates and garnish with the pickled onions, if desired, and a dusting of paprika.