I am not a kale enthusiast. It is not the first veggie I gravitate to in the produce aisle or at the farmers market. So when I make it, I do my best to make it really tasty. Of all the ways I’ve made it, this kale salad with currants and pine nuts is my most favorite. It’s my husband’s, too, and he’s not a fan of kale OR currants. So that’s saying something!
This kale salad with currants and pine nuts just might make a kale-convert out of you.
I had a roommate in college who used to make kale all the time. She bought it frozen and cooked it in vinegar for a really long time and it smelled terrible. That was probably my first impression of kale.
Since my college dates were not a time in my life that I was focused on nutrition AT ALL, (I probably got the bulk of my calories from 4/$1.00 Ramen noodles and Hamburger Helper) I had no interest in finding out more about the stuff which made my apartment smell awful.
And then years later, my mom called and somewhere in that conversation she told me to make this lacinato kale salad. Because I was a sort-of-adult and no longer an angsty teenager, I listened to her and did just that. That was approximately 127 years ago, and this is still my favorite way to make it.
I especially love that the ingredients are so simple and minimal. Once you make it with currants and pine nuts, try other combinations; like mango and spicy pepitas, peaches and almonds, apples and pecans… Pick a fruit and a nut or a seed and it will most likely be good!
Kale Salad with Currants and Pine Nuts
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Salad, Side Dish
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup currants
- 1 large or 2 small bunches lacinato kale, (also called dinosaur kale; about 1 1/4 pounds)
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon finely ground sea salt
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- lemon zest, (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
- Heat a small skillet over medium-low heat and add the pine nuts. Toast for 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Make sure they don’t burn. Once they are fragrant, remove from the pan and set aside.
- To the same pan, add the balsamic vinegar and currants. Once steaming, turn off the heat. Allow to sit while you prepare the kale.
- Pull the leaves off the stems of the kale, roll up the leaves lengthwise, and chiffonade as thinly as possible.
- In a large bowl, massage the kale with the olive oil for 3-5 minutes, or until it’s reduced by one-third to one-half.
- Stir in the currants and balsamic vinegar, salt, lemon juice, and pine nuts.
Notes
If you make this ahead, add the pine nuts at the last minute so they don’t lose their crunch.
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JULIA PACE says
I’m pretty sure I see orange peel in that salad. Not found in ingredients.
Robin says
Julia ~ I believe it’s lemon zest, as there is lemon juice in the recipe. Probably an option for when you are serving it to make it look pretty.
zenbelly says
yep, just lemon zest as a garnish. I’ll add it to the ingredient list so it’s not confusing 🙂
Ann Whitehead says
This salad looks delicious, and that’s a great hint about massaging the kale. My problem? I live in Australia in a small town called Oak Flats about 100 kilometres from Sydney and the only kale I’ve been able to get here is the curly kale. I doubt it would work as well but I’d love a recipe using it if you have one there.
zenbelly says
Dinosaur kale is my favorite for this type of salad, but as long as it’s massaged, any kale will work! If you want a cooked kale recipe, I recently published one of those too:
Basa says
Oh, I’m so glad to hear that curly cale will work! I live in that part of Germany where kale is *the* quintessential winter dish (so it might not smell exactly gorgeous when you cook it, but…!), and although I love kale in winter, ever since I experienced the fresh and light way kale is eaten elsewhere, I hate the fact that you can’t seem to buy it here during the other 3/4 of the year.
Well, it might still be three months or so until the local kale is on the market, but at least now I’ll have one more delicious way of preparing it (even without stinking up the place ;)). Thank you!
RA says
This was divine. I added cubed roasted butternut squash and some shredded purple cabbage for color. I found that making this ahead of time and letting it sit (and adding the pine nuts at the very end) really brought out the flavors. Thank you!
zenbelly says
yummy additions! I’m glad you liked it 🙂
Kornelia Sprigg says
This is the best kale recipe I ever experienced. Thank you.
zenbelly says
Thanks, I’m so glad to hear you loved it!