There’s a great restaurant near where we used to live in NYC called Northern Spy. Definitely give it a try if you’re in the area – it was one of our favorites. They make a kale salad for dinner that’s really simple, but almost perfect. . . . → Read More: Is this the best kale salad ever?]]> It’s a bold statement. I’m not shy about it. It could be the best salad salad ever. I’ll leave it up to you, dear reader, to decide for yourself.

There’s a great restaurant near where we used to live in NYC called Northern Spy. Definitely give it a try if you’re in the area – it was one of our favorites. They make a kale salad for dinner that’s really simple, but almost perfect. For brunch, they add a poached egg and make it perfect. Yum yum yum. Erik and I have been eating a lot of kale salads with poached eggs lately. It sounds kind of strange, but give it a shot. It makes a quick, filling, and nutrious meal any time of day. Two nights ago, I was HANGRY (so hungry I was angry) and Erik soothed me with one. Before I had time to protest, BAM! it was on the table and calming me down.

Perfect Kale Salad

Makes 4 servings

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cut the squash in half and place, cut side down, in a small baking dish. Bake the squash until soft, about an hour, depending on the size of your squash. Remove from the oven and let cool.
3. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
4. Spread the almonds on a baking sheet (or pizza pan) and bake for about 15 minutes or until browned. Watch them carefully, because they’ll go from nicely browned to burnt very quickly. You can do all these steps a few days ahead, if you want.
5. Once the squash is cooled, remove the skin and chop into bite-sized, but small pieces. Reserve about 1 cup for the salad. Refrigerate the rest for a quick side dish another time.
6. Start a pot of water boiling to poach the eggs.
7. Pour the lemon juice into a large salad bowl. While whisking, add the olive oil in a thin stream to help it emulsify. Whisk in the salt and pepper.
8. Prep the kale, following these instructions, but slicing the ribbons only about 1/4 inch wide. As you finish the kale, toss it into the bowl with the dressing.
9. Toss the kale in the dressing, making sure to coat all the leaves. I usually just use my (clean) hands, because I seem to be unable to keep salad in a bowl any other way. It also gives me a chance to give the kale a little tenderizing massage.
10. Once the water is at a rolling boil and the kale is dressed, poach the eggs. Only make as many as you want to eat that meal. This salad keeps well in the refrigerator, so you can make a quick meal of the leftover tossed salad and a newly poached egg. We use nifty egg poachers, like these, and cook our eggs for two and a half to three minutes for a cooked, but runny, egg. You could also just crack them gently into the boiling water and then fish them out with a slotted spoon. It takes a little practice, but works.
11. Put a pile of kale on each plate. Top with the squash, cheddar, almonds, and a poached egg (or 2).
]]> http://eatlocal365.com/2011/12/13/is-this-the-best-kale-salad-ever/feed/ 3 http://eatlocal365.com/2011/02/22/quick-local-dinner-grilled-cheese-and-tomato-soup/ http://eatlocal365.com/2011/02/22/quick-local-dinner-grilled-cheese-and-tomato-soup/#comments Wed, 23 Feb 2011 04:34:46 +0000 Erik http://eatlocal365.com/?p=2724

It’s been a quiet week in our kitchen. Lindsay and I were both sick, Lindsay has been travelling again for work, and we had out-of-town guests staying with us this past weekend. Meals at home were quick, and we mostly forgot to take photos. But, there is one exception: quick local grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup. Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

Ingredients:

Amount Ingredient Preparation Where we bought it (* Union Sq. Greenmarket) . . . → Read More: Quick Local Dinner: Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup]]>

It’s been a quiet week in our kitchen. Lindsay and I were both sick, Lindsay has been travelling again for work, and we had out-of-town guests staying with us this past weekend. Meals at home were quick, and we mostly forgot to take photos. But, there is one exception: quick local grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup.


Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

Ingredients:

Amount	Ingredient	Preparation	Where we bought it (* Union Sq. Greenmarket)
1 loaf	Homemade sourdough bread	We’ll post the recipe once we get it right	Flour from Cayuga Pure Organics *
~0.25 lb	Swiss-style cheese	Cut into 4 generous slices	Cato Corner Farm *
1 TBsp	Butter	Melted 30 seconds in the microwave	Ronnybrook Dairy *
1 Jar	Whole tomatoes		Cherry Lane Farms *
0.25 cup	Cream		Ronnybrook Dairy *



Directions:

1. Lindsay is experimenting with sourdough, but our first attempt at a starter fell kind of flat. Literally.

   The bread was still very tasty, just very dense. We cut and quartered it, and it worked well for what became grilled cheese paninis.

   

2. The cheese was a great swiss-style cheese from Cato Corner Farm. We used the better part of the 1/4 pound that we bought, cutting four generous slices.

   

3. We heated our stove top griddle on medium-low (no need for a griddle, it can just be a pan), and brushed the sandwiches with the melted butter.
4. We used two cast iron pans to weigh the sandwiches down and press them as we grilled. I had the heat up a bit too high at this point and the sandwiches got a bit blackened.

   

5. Lindsay heated a jar of canned whole tomatoes, mixed in a little cream, and attacked it with a stick blender. And in just one minute we had fresh, local, (nearly) sodium-free tomato soup!

   

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