This Month's Recipe...

Kale with Apple and Walnuts

From p122 of Dinner & Party

I have enthusiastically joined the legion of kale fans, but only now I know it must be properly cooked, cooled and dried before dressing it. The apples and walnuts go gorgeously; this is a salad on its own but also very good alongside roast gammon or pork. Choose kale that feels tactile and looks green. Very woody stalks indicate tough leaves.

Serves 6-8

Serving dish: salad bowl

Ingredients

200g walnut halves

2 tbsp vegetable oil

700g kale

4 eating apples, cored and sliced thinly

8 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Toast the walnuts in a pan with the vegetable oil over a very low heat for about 10 minutes, shaking the pan from time to time to turn them. Tip onto a sheet of kitchen towel and set to one side.

Wash the kale and cut out any tough stalks. Chop it into 1-2cm shreds. Bring a large pan of water to the boil and add the kale. Boil it for 1-5 minutes – how quickly it becomes tender to the bite will vary, but do not overcook it; it is better to err on the side of underdone.

When cooked, remove the pan from the heat and drain the kale in a colander. Refresh with plenty of very cold water to fix the colour. Next, take handfuls and squeeze out all excess water. The kale, if not overcooked, should bounce back nicely. Put it in a salad bowl. Add the apples and walnuts and then dress with the oil and season with sea salt and black pepper.