The whole kale craze has moved well beyond the borders of North America. A few years ago Spaniards had no idea what kale was; now I’m seeing it in Barcelona’s Boqueria market and the markets of Madrid. I’m not much for food trends—but anything that gets people eating more dark, leafy greens is good by me. Maybe the world has enough kale salads already. I don’t know. But I do know this is a very good one— a mix of crunchy and tender kale that gives you two different tastes of the same vegetable. (Plus, the chips make an amazing snack on their own, especially with the Roasted Garlic Yogurt for dipping.)
SERVES 4
2 bunches curly kale (about 1¼ pounds), stems removed and saved for another use, larger leaves torn into smaller pieces
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Generous ½ cup Roasted Garlic Yogurt
½ cup Lemon Dressing
½ cup pomegranate seeds (see Pro Move)
8 cloves Garlic Confit, plus some of the oil for drizzling (optional)
FOR THE KALE CHIPS
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Combine one-quarter of the kale leaves in a bowl with the olive oil and toss to coat. Set a rack over a large rimmed baking sheet and spread out the kale leaves in a single layer, without crowding. Sprinkle with a little salt. Bake the kale for about 20 minutes, until the leaves are crisp. Let cool to room temperature, then store in a covered container until ready to use (these will keep for 2 days in your pantry).
FOR THE BLANCHED KALE
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add enough salt so it tastes like the ocean. Add the remaining kale and blanch for about 1 minute. Immediately drain in a colander and cool under cold running water. Drain again, squeeze the leaves dry, and spread out on a paper towel–lined tray. Let dry on the counter for 15 minutes.
TO ASSEMBLE THE SALAD
Spoon 2 heaping tablespoons of garlic yogurt onto each of four plates and spread it out into a circle using the back of the spoon. Toss the blanched kale with the lemon dressing and mound it on top of the yogurt. Top with the crispy kale. Garnish with the pomegranate seeds, drizzle some of the garlic olive oil (if using) around each salad and put 2 of the garlic cloves to the side of each one, and serve.
Don’t fear the pomegranate! Here’s a simple way to get out all of those beautiful seeds without staining your nice shirt: Cut the pomegranate crosswise in half. Hold one half over a bowl, cut side down, and use a heavy spoon to smack the pomegranate and release the seeds into the bowl. Repeat with the second pomegranate half. Pick out and remove any small bits of skin or pith.