I would always make a point to attend any community dinner or event on Martha’s Vineyard where Chris was cooking—there was sure to be kale and other impeccably fresh Island meat, fish, and vegetables. Now Chris is running the Beach Plum Restaurant and getting lots of press, while continuing to farm his family’s land at Beetlebung Corner to supply the restaurant. He suggests getting the dressing in every nook and cranny of the kale leaf, and topping the salad with toasted bread crumbs or croutons.
Ingredients
- 1 pound kale, stripped off stalk and torn into pieces
- Salt
- 4 tablespoons canola or olive oil, divided
- 2 egg yolks
- ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 anchovy fillets
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
- Bread crumbs or croutons, for garnish
How to Make It
- Wash the kale thoroughly by soaking in water repeatedly until the water is clean when the kale is removed. Spin dry in a salad spinner and place in a large bowl. Salt the kale lightly and drizzle 1 tablespoon of the canola oil into a bowl. Toss and massage salt and oil into the kale vigorously, until well coated.
- In a blender, combine the egg yolks, mustard, lemon juice, anchovies, pepper, and garlic. Puree until you have a smooth paste. You may need to add a small amount of cold water to loosen up mixture at this point. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil to the blender while pulsing to incorporate it. When you have a cohesive dressing, transfer it to a measuring cup or bowl.
- An hour before serving, pour half of the dressing onto the kale and massage vigorously again to coat evenly. Add more dressing, if desired, as well as salt and pepper to taste. Reserve the remaining dressing for another use. Enjoy!