serves 6
A few years ago I made a raw kale salad, a recipe I adapted from Franny’s restaurant in Brooklyn and subsequently published in my column in the New York Times.
Filled with tangy pecorino, loads of pungent garlic, and salty crisp bread crumbs, it became one of my favorite things in the world to eat—and I ate it as often as I could.
The great thing about the kale salad is it’s ideal for entertaining. I could make it in advance and it would hold up during the whole party, wilting a little but getting tastier as it sat. The only thing I didn’t like was that my husband, Daniel, who doesn’t eat cheese, couldn’t partake.
One day, while making a Daniel-friendly date-citrus-anchovy dressing to toss with arugula for a friend’s party, I got the idea to use kale.
The slightly sticky, pungent date dressing was delicious, but it always wilted the arugula minutes after being dressed. Kale, however, would stand up to the dressing, and the whole thing seemed like it would be a nice, cheeseless alternative to my usual mix.
It worked beautifully, with the sweetness of the dates and salty, funky tang of the anchovies mitigating the assertive, green flavor of the kale. The salad was wonderful from the moment it graced the table, and then proceeded to get better as the evening wore on, softening, deepening, and becoming even more interesting and complex with the passing hours—the perfect guest at any party.
6 to 8 large Medjool dates, pitted, smashed, and finely chopped
6 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Finely grated zest of 2 oranges
Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar, plus more to taste
2 large or 3 small bunches Tuscan kale, stems removed
Coarse sea salt, for serving
1. In a medium bowl, stir together the dates (use more dates if you like a sweeter salad and fewer if you prefer a less sweet salad), anchovies, garlic, orange zest, and lemon zest. Stir in the olive oil and vinegar.
2. Wash and dry the kale leaves; stack the leaves and slice them thinly crosswise. Transfer the greens to a large salad bowl. Add the vinaigrette and toss gently to combine. Add salt and more vinegar, if needed.