Kale, Radish and Roasted Corn Salad with Parmesan Crisps

Hi friends.
Today is the first recipe in our 2014 Mother’s Day Menu.
Get excited.
Have you ever been to Red Butte Cafe in SLC?
Last summer I went to Red Butte for lunch and ordered the salad of the day. The server promised I’d love it. He was right. I’m not usually a raw kale fan. When I asked the server why the kale was so tender he told me the chef actually massages the greens. Uh. What? Massaging the produce? He claimed that massaging the kale leaves breaks down the fibers, therefore producing a more tender leaf in the salad. I took some notes from my new found friend and server, and was determined to create my own version of this salad at home.
Because the greens are so firm, the salad keeps well in the fridge and it’s perfect for make-ahead. You can make this on Saturday and serve it on Mother’s Day. Just re-toss, and add a little more dressing if needed, and top with a few Parmesan crisps.
Mom is going to love it.

Kale, Radish and Roasted Corn Salad with Parmesan Crisps

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Author: Si Foster

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

A Bountiful Kitchen

Ingredients 

Salad:

• 5-7 oz kale, washed, dried (I used a little over 1/2 of a 10 oz bag)
• 1 bunch, or about 5-7 medium sized radishes
• 1 large ear fresh corn or about 1 1/2 cups frozen corn

Crisps:

• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, or more if you would like to have a few extra chips

Dressing:

• 1/2 cup light olive oil
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1-2 clove of garlic, minced
• 1-2 teaspoons sugar or honey, to taste
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper

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Instructions

To make the dressing:

• Mix all dressing ingredients with a blender or immersion blender. Taste and add more salt, pepper or honey or sugar as needed. Set aside. Note- you will not use all of the dressing on this salad.

To make the salad:

• Wash the radishes, trim off the ends, slice thin.
• Cut the corn off of the cob. Spread on a cookie sheet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Salt and pepper generously. Roast at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Let cool.
• Place the kale in a medium size bowl and add about 1/3 cup of the dressing. You may use food handlers gloves for the next step. Work the dressing into the salad with your hands (give the kale a good massage 🙂 This takes about 2 minutes. Add the radishes and corn when you are finished massaging the dressing into the kale.

To make the Parmesan crisps:

• Heat a pan over medium high heat. Do not grease the pan. Place piles of grated Parmesan cheese on the hot pan or griddle until the cheese melts and begins to brown on the bottom. Flip to the other side and cook until golden on the opposite side. When cooked to light golden brown on both sides, remove and let cool in single layer on a cooling rack or cookie sheet.

To assemble the salad:

• Add more dressing to the kale mixture if needed. Toss. Add Parmesan chips just before serving.
• Serves 8 as a side salad

Notes

-This is a very simple salad. If you roast the corn while making the Parmesan crisps, you will be able to put this salad together in about 20 minutes (or less).
-The dressing is one of my favorites, it goes well on several different types of salad and would make an excellent dressing for any pasta and vegetable salad.