Kale Caesar? Kale Yeah!

Caesar salads worked themselves into ubiquity in the 90’s and began to fall from favor in the early part of this century. Now, after a good hiatus, seems a lot of us are enjoying them once again. After all, a creamy mix of garlic, lemon and olive oil – with or without the anchovies — is not something one would want to give up on permanently.

There are a lot of great reasons why a kale Caesar salad is a perfect dish for New Year’s entertaining, especially if you are serving a crowd. With all the panache of a regular Caesar, but without the wilt worry, this delicious salad stays perking even after sitting on a buffet for awhile. Kale’s firmer leaves don’t breakdown nearly as fast as traditional romaine, and actually benefit from a little “tenderizing” that comes after a half hour or so.

Allowing you to toss it before guests arrive and avoid the last minute fuss a fresh Caesar usually requires. And if this isn’t enough to have you running to add kale to your order, how about doing it just for luck? Thought to represent wads of cash, leafy greens have been eaten for centuries to help usher in prosperity along with the New Year. While I may be somewhat dubious as to the effect eating greens will have on my financial bottom line, I know it do my physical one a world of good.

Lacinato is my favorite kale variety and it works beautifully in this salad, but any variety will do. The dressing makes approximately enough for one good sized bunch. Multiply as needed.