Food52 Mighty Salads

Food52 Mighty Salads

Grilled Peach & Apricot Salad with Kale and Prosciutto

Sturdy greens + cured meat + grilled fruit + crumbly cheese
Serves 4 | From Nicholas Day

You might think this dressing sounds overly simplified (olive oil and lemon? Why do I need a recipe for that?), but the genius comes when you top the salad with smoky, sweet, still-hot grilled stone fruit. Its juices seep down into the greens and finish what little work you put into the dressing. Add a bit of prosciutto and a tumble of feta, and you’ve basically got a cheese plate in a bowl. Which, really, is what you wanted from a salad cookbook, right?

1 bunch lacinato kale
Kosher salt
1⁄4 cup (60ml) olive oil
1 to 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, or to taste
4 ounces (115g) prosciutto, thinly sliced
4 peaches, halved
4 apricots, halved
Neutral oil (such as vegetable, canola, or grapeseed), for brushing
1⁄4 cup (40g) crumbled feta cheese
Crusty bread, for serving

1. Heat the grill to medium-high and brush your grates clean. While the grill heats up, prepare the kale. Fold a leaf in half along the central rib. With a sharp knife, cut away the rib and discard. Tear or chop the kale leaves into bite-size pieces and place them in a large salad bowl. Add a pinch of salt and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and massage, kneading it for a minute or so, until it softens. Whisk together the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the lemon juice. Tear or cut the prosciutto into bite-size pieces and set both aside.

2. When the grill is reasonably but not overwhelmingly hot, brush the peaches and apricots very lightly with the neutral oil and grill, cut side down, until deeply caramelized, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

3. Toss the kale with the dressing and feta. Add the prosciutto, followed by the still-hot peaches and apricots, letting their juices seep into the kale. If there are any extra juices on the plate, add those too. Eat with crusty bread.

Genius Tip: Melty Cheese Dressing
You’re used to finding hard cheese in crags or pebbles here and there in your salad, but they can also become a more even, consistent coat by melting the cheese into a dressing. Canal House’s method starts like you’re making cacio e pepe pasta and ends with a milky, emulsified, deeply pungent dressing. Stir 1 1⁄2 cups (150g) finely grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese and 1⁄2 cup (120ml) boiling water in a large bowl until the cheese is melted. Whisk in 1⁄2 cup (120ml) extra-virgin olive oil, then season with freshly ground black pepper. Spoon the melty cheese dressing over skinny asparagus, fresh peas, and delicate lettuce leaves, if you’re Canal House—also over heartier greens, roasted vegetables, or scrambled eggs, if you’re us.