At least once a week, I tell my husband there is a reason they made a movie called “Grumpy Old Men.”
Now, as a matter of full disclosure, he was always grumpy. But with the passage of time, it has gotten worse. I have been cooking for 54 years and almost every night of our lives. So, “Mr. Picky” often upsets me. Especially when it comes to vegetables. I love vegetables, all of them.
I’ve written before about my love of peas, especially in pasta. “His” usually end up in the bottom of the bowl. And green beans? Despite the addition of chives, olive oil and garlic, they are usually “too beany.” Then there is the oft-repeated question: “Broccoli again?”
One day, at the farmers market, I spotted a beautiful bunch of fresh, curly kale. I know kale is the “in vegetable,” and I wondered if I could tempt my picky spouse with a kale salad. Try something that’s not cooked, I thought.
I bought the kale, wrapped it gently with a moist paper towel and plastic bag and stashed it in my garage refrigerator. I thought I would likely throw it away at the end of the week (usually, the fate of my rhubarb every spring).
One night, I decided that kale salad was going to be on the menu. And it was very simple. I washed the kale and let it drain on a clean dishtowel. I patted it dry, cut out the thick stem in the middle of each leaf, and cut it into bite-size pieces. I found some dried cranberries languishing in the fridge and used a recipe for homemade poppy seed dressing given to me by my daughter-in-law.
It was very good. And he ate it. All of it! Now the kale was crunchy. Some cooks “massage” the leaves to tenderize them but that seemed like an unnecessary step to me. The dressing is a keeper. It works well in a spinach strawberry salad, too.
Rosemary’s Kale Salad
- 1 bunch curly kale, washed, dried, tough ribs removed and pulled or chopped into bite-sized pieces. Place in salad bowl.
- Prepare poppy seed dressing, recipe follows.
Poppy Seed Dressing
- ½ cup sugar (seems like a lot, but the dressing is not overly sweet and not much is needed for each salad)
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup white vinegar (you could also try champagne vinegar)
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼-½ cup dried cherries or cranberries
Place all ingredients for the dressing in a lidded jar and shake or whisk briskly. Toss with the kale and serve chilled. You could also add some toasted sliced almonds instead of the dried fruit, or along with it.
If you are shopping for kale, you might be surprised to find a different variety out there in addition to the curly version I used. It is black kale or cavolo nero. Italians like to use it in ribollita, a beloved soup from Tuscany. Both types of kale can be chopped and added to meatloaf, omelets, soups and smoothies, a sneaky way to increase vegetables in your diet.
I’m still on a mission and definitely not giving up on my endeavor to improve my spouse’s diet. He’s now getting little organic green sprouts on his sandwich, hiding under the tuna salad, cheese and tomato. Peas are next: pasta shells with creamy Gorgonzola cheese sauce and maybe a few peas, just for “color?”
