Photo by Tom McCorkle and food styling by Gina Nistico; for The Washington Post
Yes, a salad can be both simple and unforgettably delicious. Here’s your proof: an eye-catching mix of shredded kale, radicchio, fennel and parsley tossed with a boldly tasty, creamy garlic dressing. The dressing’s mouthwatering flavor from cloves of garlic confit — garlic simmered slowly in oil until it is golden and soft, which is also pretty amazing spread on bread.
Shredded Kale Tri-Color Salad With Creamy Garlic Vinaigrette
Ingredients
For the Vinaigrette
- 4 cloves Garlic Confit (see recipe below)
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or oil from the confit
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the Salad
-
5 cups (5 ounces) lightly packed, thinly sliced kale leaves (from about 1/2 large bunch stemmed kale)
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1 cup thinly sliced radicchio
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1 medium fennel bulb, cored and thinly sliced
-
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
Directions
Make the vinaigrette: In the pitcher of a blender, combine the garlic confit, lemon juice, oil, vinegar, honey, mustard, salt and pepper and blend until smooth and creamy. You should get about 1/2 cup.
Make the salad: Place the kale into a large bowl and add 1/4 cup of the dressing on top. Using your hands, massage the kale and dressing together until the kale is tender, about 2 minutes. Add the radicchio, fennel and parsley and toss to combine.
Divide among bowls or plates and serve.
Makes 4 Servings
Serving Size: 1 1/4 cup of salad and 1 tablespoon of dressing
Per Serving: Calories 86; Total Fat 4g (Sat Fat 1g); Protein 2g; Carb 12g; Fiber 4g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 167mg: Sugars 6g
Garlic Confit
Ingredients
- Peeled cloves of 2 heads of garlic (about 24 cloves)
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
Directions
In a small saucepan, combine the garlic and oil. Set over very low heat and cook until the garlic is golden and soft, 45 minutes to 1 hour. (The heat should be low enough so that the oil doesn’t bubble much; remove it from the burner periodically as needed, depending on how low your stove settings go.)
Once the garlic is golden and soft, remove from the heat and let cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. Transfer to a clean, lidded jar. The garlic and oil are ready to use, refrigerate until needed.
