Serves 4 portions
- 1bunch kale, or greens of your choice for 4 servings. I use dino kale for this recipe.
- 1Pear, under ripe (I used a Bartlett)
- Canola or vegetable oil for frying
- 1handful walnuts
- 3pinches brown sugar
- 1handful Cheese, grated finely (Pecorino or Grana Padano)
- 1/2pint very sweet cherry tomatoes (I used Sun gold)
- 1capful champagne or white wine vinegar
- olive oil
- 1teaspoon Anchovy paste
- Salt and pepper as needed
- Prepare the kale: wash the leaves and dry thoroughly. Remove the spine from each leaf. Line the leaves up and finely julienne the kale. Place in a large salad bowl and set aside.
- Prepare the pear. Do not peel. Use a mandolin to very thinly slice the pear, adjusting the thickness to your liking. A very thin slice will produce a crispy chip when it is fried, whereas a thicker slice will be crispy on the edges, but somewhat juicy and flavorful in the inside of the slice. I used both thicknesses to compare the difference. Dry the slices with a paper towel before frying.
- Place enough canola or vegetable oil in a large frying pan to cover both sides of the pear slices. Allow the oil to sizzle, and then fry the pear slices in batches, making sure to watch them carefully. Adjust the heat as needed so the oil does not get smokey. The fried slices should be a golden brown color. Place on paper towels. After a few minutes, very lightly salt at least a few of the slices.
- Prepare the vinaigrette. Mix the olive oil, vinegar, and anchovy paste. Add a little bit of ground pepper. Taste and adjust as needed.
- Place the walnuts on a parchment paper – lined pan with a few sprinklings of brown sugar. Toast for about 5 minutes. Watch carefully to make sure they do not burn. When you pull them out of the toaster oven, toss the walnuts around in any liquefied sugar. Let cool.
- Assemble the salad. Pour the vinaigrette into the kale and toss. Add the walnuts and the cheese, and toss again very lightly.
- To serve, place the salad on individual serving dishes, and place the pear chips on the salad. Toss a few cherry tomato halves around the plate.
By Bevi
Author Notes: I love the kale salad at Five Leaves, a great little restaurant in Green point. The kale is finely julienned and so the other flavors of the salad, to m (…more) —Bevi
***Grabbed from: http://food52.com/recipes/14417-kale-salad-with-fried-pear-chips-and-toasted-walnuts