Because this recipe is so delicious, the title deserves capitalization.
I feel like this post might be cheating, because this was not my recipe originally. However, since I make it on a weekly basis, I do feel the need to share the gospel. The basis for this recipe comes from Adam Mann, a fantastic cook and writer at Wired magazine online.
It used to be that kale was the bottom of the barrel item in our CSA. I had to sneak it into soups and blend it with spinach in Indian and Middle Eastern food. Now, it is the first item to go and usually gets eaten on veggie basket day.
Look at those lusty curves Love me some kale with curves.
What could make a vegetable that my father used to feed to our chickens the most delectable item in the basket? A delicious blend of sweet, salty, savory, sour, spicy, and umami in salad dressing form fits the bill.
Miso, one of the ingredients that makes this dressing so tasty, is a delicious fermented food. Although I have yet to make it on my own due to the year plus fermentation time and unusual ingredient list, miso can be made from the by-product of soy milk – the leftover ground up beans known as okara. Fermentation breaks down the beans so they are more digestible and, if I do say so myself, more delectable. Miso comes in many colors, fermentation lengths, and consistencies. I’ve been using white miso, as it is what my local grocery carries under an organic and GMO- free brand.
Another fermented food that is best supporting actor in this dressing drama is apple cider vinegar. All traditional vinegars are made by fermentation. In fact, less than stellar wine that you deem undrinkable can be fermented into wine vinegar. I prefer apple cider vinegar that is unfiltered and raw, meaning that the happy little bugs and their dead friends can still be found in the vinegar. Love them bugs.
Enough talk, here’s how to move kale into the coveted food category.
For this recipe, you will need:
1 (or two or three or eight) bunches of kale (I prefer dino kale, which is thin, very dark, bumpy, and dare I say sweet)
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons miso paste (like I said, I’ve been using white miso. Make sure to taste for saltiness if using another type)
2 teaspoons Bragg’s Amino Acid liquid (or soy sauce or tamari, but again, check the saltiness)
½ cup nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons unfiltered apple cider vinegar
Tools:
Colander or Salad Spinner
Frying pan
Knife
Cutting board
Salad bowl
Garlic press
Measuring spoons or the willingness to guess
Process:
1. Wash the kale. Check the underside of leaves for hiding aphids – especially in bumpy varieties.
2. Heat the frying pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When water flicked on the surface skips around, take the kale by the stems and wipe around the pan. The goal of this process is to wilt the kale ever so slightly. The edges of the kale should turn a more intense green. It should take about 1-2 minutes.
3. Use the knife to remove the stems and veins from the leafy portions of the kale. I like to do this by holding the stem and running a very sharp knife along the tough vein.
4. Chop the kale into a rough chiffonade by rolling the leaves into a large roll and chopping thin slices perpendicular to the roll.
5. In the bowl combine ¼ cup olive oil and crushed garlic. Stir.
6. Add in the miso and mix until incorporated.
7. Add in the Bragg’s, yeast, and the vinegar.
8. Taste the dressing – my usual problem is that it is too salty in which case I add more vinegar and oil but I don’t like things very salty.
9. Using your hands, toss in the kale.
10. Serve to your adoring fans.