St Clements Curly Kale Salad
 
 
Serves around 2-3 portions, depending on whether a starter, lunch or side dish.
Recipe type: Salad
Serves: 2-3
Ingredients
  • 2 good handfuls of curly kale
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 oranges – zest and flesh
  • 1 lemon – zest only
  • 400g can of chickpeas, drained
  • 100g walnut pieces
  • 1 fresh chili, deseeded and finely sliced
  • 3 tbsps extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle over
  • 1 knob of butter
Method
  1. Wash the kale and remove any tough stalks. Bring a pot of water to the boil and blanch the kale leaves for 2 minutes. Drain well and set aside.
  2. Zest the oranges and the lemon and then peel the oranges, cutting the flesh into rough segments. Remove any excess pith as well as any pips. Set aside.
  3. In a large frying pan, melt the olive oil along with a knob of butter over a medium heat. Peel and slice garlic and fry gently with the walnut pieces for a couple of minutes (ensuring not to brown or burn the garlic). Remove with a slotted spoon, and drain on kitchen paper.
  4. Then, add the kale, chickpeas and orange segments to the pan, tossing around gently til they are warmed through making sure the kale is soft enough but not overly wilted.
  5. Add back into the pan the garlic and walnuts just to warm a little. The salad is now ready to serve with a drizzle of olive oil and add the zests and finely-chopped chili to garnish.
  6. Tips: You could use broccoli florets, Swiss chard or baby spinach; the latter won’t need blanching first. The chickpeas and nuts make this salad satisfying enough but you could add grated Parmesan or even a melting cheese like Fontina or Gorgonzola (lovely with the walnuts) to add more substance for a light lunch or starter.
Recipe by The Red Bistro at http://theredbistro.com/2014/02/23/curly-kale-citrus-chickpea-salad/