At my little local farmer's market last week I picked up kale, squash and tomatoes from Tom, my new favorite farmer. His produce is gorgeous and he always has really lovely bunches of flowers that I don't know the name of but look very pretty in vases with random branches and leaves I've plucked from my backyard. Flower arranging is a piece of cake after a few tries and plenty of greenery.
Most of my summer salads are good, a lot of them are great, but the one I made with Tom's produce was fantastic. A keeper, for sure. It's all about the dressing, which can be used on a million different salads. Start playing!
CHOPPED KALE, SUMMER SQUASH, AND CHERRY TOMATO SALAD
1 bunch kale, tender leaves separated from stalks, chopped into thin strips
a couple handfuls of the best cherry tomatoes you can find, halved
2 - 3 yellow summer squash, sliced in rounds very thinly on a mandoline
5 - 6 tbsps cotija cheese, crumbled
basil, torn
1/4 cup balsamic
lemon juice from one lemon
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp dijon mustard
3/4 cup olive oil
1/8 cup white wine
salt and pepper
Massage the kale with your hands to soften it.
Whisk together dressing ingredients in a small bowl or a ball jar. I like using ball jars (or old mustard jars) because shaking is the best way to mix it. Taste and season accordingly.
Toss kale with dressing and let it sit for at least 20 minutes. Mix in squash, tomatoes and basil. Top with cotija and serve.
We served this salad with grilled steak and balsamic-thyme grilled peaches and red onions. Paired with Syrahs from Radio-Coteau and Copain, all was right in the world. Radio-Coteau's more robust and lush Syrah was a nice foil to Copain's leaner and prettier 2011 Les Voisin. Full disclosure - we meant to open the 2009 instead. Whoops. Turns out this young Syrah is still really really good.
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