Beard Award's Outstanding Chef Winner Dan Barber's Kale Salad
Here's a recipe from the guy who took a top honor at last night's Beard Awards (aka the Oscars of food). Outstanding Chef 2009 winner, Dan Barber, submitted "Kale Salad with Pine Nuts, Currants and Parmesan" to this week's People Magazine for the "Meals For Four Under $10" in its "Great Ideas" section.
Kale Salad with Pine Nuts, Currants, and Parmesan
Ingredients:
2 tbsp. dried currants
7 tbsp. white balsamic vinegar, divided
1 tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. salt
2 bunches Tuscan kale (about 1 lb.) with center ribs and stems removed, leaves thinly sliced cross-wise. (Be sure to choose kale with small leaves, which are more tender.)
2 tbsp. pine nuts, lightly toasted
Parmesan cheese shavings
Directions:
1. Place currants in small bowl; add 5 tbsp. white balsamic vinegar. Let soak overnight. Then drain currants.
2. Whisk remaining 2 tbsp. white balsamic vinegar, rice vinegar, honey, oil, and salt in large bowl. Add kale, currants and pine nuts; toss to coat. Let marinate for 20 minutes at room temperature, tossing occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese shavings over salad and serve.
I'm skeptical folks. One gander at that ingredient list signals way over $10 to me. Am I wrong? The pine nuts alone might put you over, unless you bought them in the bulk section and measured out exactly 2 tablespoons, but then a good hunk of Parmesan cheese on top of that would for sure put you over. I'm thinking that since it's "shaved," he doesn't want you using store brand in a can. And either you have those bottles of vinegar already in your pantry, or you're borrowing tablespoons from your neighbor who does.
I'm not saying this is a bad recipe. On the contrary, it sounds like it would taste quite good. But I'm not sure it's an Under $10 deal. Maybe he means that at his New York restaurant, Blue Hill, you can order it off the menu for under $10.
--Sweet B
(photo courtesy of bonappetit.com)
HopeSew on May 05, 2009 at 10:13 AM
I agree with your "not under $10" assessment. Only 3 of the ingredients listed are standard pantry items for most people (salt, oil, honey). The rest would have to be picked up. If your store carries the Badia brand of spices, the pine nuts in a small packet would be a reasonable price, but adding it to all the other ingredients would top $10 easily.
That being said, I recently ate a salad similar to this at a special luncheon, and it was indeed tasty.
SinoSoul on May 05, 2009 at 10:52 AM
easily under $10. The organic kale at the farmers market is only $1 bunch. Pine nuts are cheap if in bulk (and NOT from whole foods). Last I measured, our kale salads with very similar recipe (craisins subbing currants, Asiago subbing parm) cost ~$6 for 2 servings.
TK on July 07, 2009 at 01:32 PM
Remarkably similar :-) to a recipe from Francesco Buitoni of Mercato in Red Hook. See Valley Table Issue #39, Dec 2007-Feb 2008:
http://www.valleytable.com/recipes_main.php?recipe=Appetizers%2FRaw+Kale+Salad