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Torn Kale Salad with Crispy Bresaola & Pont-L’Évêque

Caroline Wright
The best kale salads beg for bold ingredients, ones that stand strong in a bowl already full of hearty texture and flavor. If you can’t find bresaola (cured beef), substitute prosciutto—it crisps similarly in the oven and lends the same salty crunch on the plate. Pont-l’Évêque is a soft, washed-rind cow’s milk cheese from Normandy; if you can’t find it, substitute Taleggio or any other cheese that’s soft and stinky.
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Ingredients
  

TOASTED ROSEMARY-FENNEL VINAIGRETTE

  • 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves from about 2 sprigs
  • ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
  • ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
  • Kosher salt to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste

SALAD

  • 24 slices about 4 ounces thinly sliced bresaola
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ cup fresh bread crumbs from 2 ounces stale bread
  • Kosher salt to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 bunch Lacinato kale 10 ounces, torn into 1-inch pieces (about 5 cups)
  • 4 ounces Pont-l’Évêque

Instructions
 

  • TOASTED ROSEMARY-FENNEL VINAIGRETTE: In a small heavy skillet (such as cast iron), combine rosemary, fennel, and mustard seeds. Place skillet over mediumhigh heat. Toast until rosemary and fennel seeds begin to brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a mortar and use pestle to coarsely grind. Stir in oil and vinegar, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • SALAD: Heat oven to 350°F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment. Arrange bresaola in a single layer on prepared baking sheets. Bake until bresaola is crispy, about 8 minutes. Break bresaola into pieces.
  • In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add bread crumbs and toast, stirring often, until golden brown and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Season bread crumbs with salt and pepper to taste.
  • In a large serving bowl, combine kale and vinaigrette. Use hands to knead and squeeze dressing into kale leaves until wilted and tender, about 3 minutes. Add bresaola and bread crumbs to kale, and toss to combine. Cut cheese into ½-inch cubes, and toss with salad to combine.