This standout salad takes a turn from the ordinary by wilting the kale over
heat before serving.
Suggested tweaks: You could fiddle with the fruit if figs
aren't in season, using apples, pears, or even grapes instead.
Ingredients
serves Serves 2 to 4, active time 35 minutes, total time 35 minutes
- 5–6 ripe figs
- 1–2 tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice
- 1 3-ounce piece Parmesan cheese
- 1 loaf ciabatta or sourdough baguette (fresh or day-old)
- 1 large or 2 small bunches (1/2 pound total) lacinato kale
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small red onion, cut in half and then into 1/4-inch slices
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- A handful or two walnut halves, toasted and coarsely chopped
- Black pepper
- Lemon or lime wedges
Procedures
-
Stem the figs and slice them lengthwise into about 5 wedges per fig. Place
them in a medium dish and sprinkle with the lemon or lime juice. Toss gently to
coat and set aside.
-
Shave strips of Parmesan from the block of cheese, using a sturdy vegetable
peeler. Lovely cheese ribbons will ensue. Set aside.
-
Slice the bread into approximately a dozen thin (as in almost see-through)
slices. Larger slices from a ciabatta can be halved for easier handling and
consumption. Set aside.
-
Hold each kale leaf by the stem and use a very sharp knife to release the
leaf from the stem (it’s OK to leave the narrow part of the stem that blends
into the leaf farther up). Make a pile of the leaves, roll them up tightly, and
cut crosswise into super-thin strips. Transfer to a large bowl of cold water and
swish around to clean. Spin very dry and transfer to a large bowl. Set aside.
-
Heat a large deep skillet over medium heat for about a minute. Add 2
tablespoons of the olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Turn up the heat to
medium-high and add the onion and 1/8 teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring
and/or shaking the pan a little, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the onion becomes
shiny and is still this side of tender.
-
Transfer the hot onion to the kale in the bowl and stir everything around a
bit, then return the entire bowlful of kale-plus-onions to the pan. Stir-fry
quickly—just for a minute or so—over medium-high heat until the kale turns an
even deeper shade of green and wilts slightly.
-
Return it all to the bowl, tossing in the remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt. You
can add some of the cheese at this point, if you’d like it to melt in slightly.
-
Remove the pan from the heat, wait a minute or two, then add the vinegar to
the pan (stand back—it will sizzle), swirl it around, and pour what’s left of it
into the kale. (It will mostly evaporate.)
-
Without bothering to clean the pan, return it to the stove over medium heat.
Wait another minute, then add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and swirl to
coat the pan. Add the bread slices in a single layer and grill on each side
until lightly golden and perfectly crisp.
-
Transfer the toasts to the kale, along with the figs and all their juice and
the shaved cheese to taste. Toss quickly (no need to get things uniform), adding
the remaining cheese and the walnuts as you go. Serve right away, passing a
pepper mill and offering wedges of lemon or lime to be aimed straight at the
figs.
-
Optional enhancements:
Not a fig person? You can swap in
a crisp fall apple, sliced thin and lemon juice-doused.
Go in an entirely
different direction and substitute slices or chunks of a very sweet ripe
heirloom tomato or a few handfuls of very sweet, ripe cherry
tomatoes.
