Happy Midsummer!
All this talk of summer sun with swimswuits and sunnies has got me in the mood for some old fashioned summertime cooking. You know what I mean? I'm talking about backyard dinner parties complete with fireflies, chilled rose or margaritas, and homemade popsicles (foreshadowing in action!). When it's a warm night, I can't fathom standing in front of an oven or stove for very long so my brain goes straight to salads.
The beauty of a summertime salad is all the garden goodies you can put on top of it. Fresh apricots have been making an appearance in our farm box these past few weeks - a sign that tomatoes and cherries will be added soon. For this video, I wanted to make a simple summer salad with two star ingredients - kale and apricots. I lightly grilled the apricots to caramelize them a bit, bringing out an extra sweetness. The base of the salad is kale. I learned the secret to a kale salad several summers ago, when I was at a backyard BBQ and became entranced watching the hostess massaging the kale for at least 10 minutes before adding the other ingredients. The massage is an essential component to a kale salad. It lightens both the texture and flavor of the thick, fibrous leaf providing a nice meditation for the preparer that is well rewarded with the kale's sweet flavor.
Grilled Apricot Kale Salad
- 1 bunch kale
- Fresh apricots (I used about 5)
- 1/2 c. slivered almonds
- 1 avocado, cut into little chunks
Dressing
- 1/2 c. olive oil
- 1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp. honey
- 1 tsp. dijon mustard
Slice your apricots and place on grill for 3-4 mins until lightly caramelized, but not mushy. De-stem your kale, and slice into thin ribbons. Drizzle kale ribbons with olive oil and massage for 5 minutes, being sure to rub the thicker parts between two fingers to soften. Let kale sit for 5-10 mins to soften a bit more. Add in avocado, almonds, and apricots. Make your dressing be combining all ingredients and stirring vigorously before adding to the salad. Toss and enjoy!
(Video by Jamie Oliveira)
I love this!!! What a great vid and the salad looks amaze. I’ll definitely try this recipe. Thanks for the tip about massaging the kale! Wish you had a Pinterest button on your post so I could pin from my iPad.
Obviously we are simpatico (per uje) since I posted an extremely similar salad a week or two ago. Haha. Oh, friend. We are good eating buddies. You get me. I am loving these pretty videos. Keep ’em coming.