Friday, August 7, 2009

Steak, Kale and Olive Salad


If this salad doesn't make you love or at least learn to tolerate kale there is no hope for you.

Kale and I aren't best friends but we visit on special occasions. Those special occasions being thick filling soups in the middle of winter. We get along pretty well as long as kale doesn't draw too much attention to itself which unfortunately it usually does. I totally understand why most people never invite it to their parties, kale is a bitter creature on a good day and an evening killer on bad ones.

This salad changed all that. The only reason I made it was kale came in the latest CSA box and there was steak in it so even if the kale was a failure there was still the yummy steak for dinner. I figured it was a win win type situation. But even as I wilted the big juicy organic kale leaves I was still hesitant about how much I was going to like this dinner. I was rushing to make it and take it in tupperware to my second job of the day, if I didn't like it I would be stuck at a coffee ship with nothing but scones to munch on.

Fortunately all the worry was for naught. Steak, vinegar, and salty olives turned the kale into a very delicious unassuming salad green. I wouldn't have even known it was a bitter green if I hadn't of chopped it up myself. This salad might not look like much but it's great and filling and not at all like any other kale dish I've ever dutifully forced myself to work my way through. The only way it would have been better is if I had decent sherry vinegar. Time to visit my friend at the fancy vinegar store on my next day off.




Steak, Kale and Olive Salad

1 pound steak, whatever cut floats your boat
1 bunch kale, thinly chopped
1 handful black olives, the saltier the better

equal portions olive oil and sherry vinegar


Season steak with salt and pepper then sear in in a nice sized pan to the level of doneness you prefer. Remove from pan to let cool a bit before slicing into bite sized pieces.

Put kale in pan with steak drippings and cook just until wilted. Remove pan from heat and toss in olives and sliced steak.

Whisk together oil and vinegar then pour over salad and toss.

Recipe from Mark Bittman in the New York Times.

4 comments:

Georgia said...

I bought kale at the market today, never having cooked it or tried it before (although I'm a great fan of many varieties of greens). Fortuitously, I happened to also buy some strip steak. When I got home, I decided to google "kale and steak"...the rest is history. Yum!!!

(I tossed in a handful of pitted Kalamata olives with my dinner.)

Emily said...

Glad it worked out for you Georgia and thanks for reminding me about this recipe, I really need to make this again soon.

The other great thing to do with kale is sprinkle it with salt and oil and bake it for 15 minutes. Kale chips, so tasty.

Silvana said...

I added blueberries to this. First time I'd ever made steak. Not exactly low in fat, but pretty excellent all the same.

Emily said...

Silvana, the blueberries sound like an excellent addition to this recipe. It might not be low in fat but it's delicious.