Waldorf Kale Salad

While eagerly awaiting the first baby leaves of lettuce, I am still loving winter’s bounty and have discovered a new way to enjoy greens as we transition into spring. Meet the Waldorf Kale Salad!

The Joy of Cooking tells us that the Waldorf salad was created by Chef Oscar Tschirky of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in the late 1890s. Originally, this salad contained only apples, celery and mayonnaise. It has since evolved to include walnuts, grapes and occasionally even little marshmallows. It always, though, has a creamy dressing, typically made with mayo. While I’ve eaten many Waldorf salads, I hadn’t made one myself until recently, when I stumbled upon a marvelous riff on the Waldorf salad using kale. I have already made variations of it three times!

Right away I loved this salad when I read that the thick dressing is made by pureeing apples and walnuts together with Dijon and red wine vinegar. No mayo! For my salad, I added a few grapes to the mix and swapped in some lemon juice for the vinegar. The result is a bright, zippy dressing that clings to the kale and wakes up your taste buds.

Even if you’re looking forward to leaving kale behind with the winter, I think this bright, punchy salad will please. It’s packed with flavor and crunch from apples, celery, currants and walnuts and is loaded with the goodness of kale. An added bonus is it will hold up well once dressed and can be made ahead. As we ease into spring, we begin to lighten our eating and this refreshing new twist is a terrific option and already a staple in my repertoire.

Waldorf Kale Salad
Adapted from Whole Foods Market Cooking
Serves 6

2 large apples (I use Honeycrisp)
8 ounces grapes, red, green or a mix
1 1/4 cups walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons currants
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 bunch of kale (roughly 7-8 ounces), preferably Lacinato/dinosaur, thick stems removed and roughly chopped
1 heaping cup celery, diced

To make the dressing:
Slice one of the apples in half and core it (no need to peel). Roughly chop one half and place in the bowl of a food processor. Add 6 grapes to the food processor bowl, 1/4 cup walnuts, 2 tablespoons currants, the Dijon mustard, lemon juice and salt to the food processor and puree until it forms a thick dressing. Set aside while you prepare the salad.

To assemble the salad:
Core and dice the other half of the apple plus the remaining apple and place in a serving bowl. Slice the remaining grapes in half and add to the bowl. Add the remaining 1 cup chopped walnuts and 1/2 cup currants, all of the kale and the celery. Gently toss to mix.

Pour the dressing over the salad. Since it is thick, I found it easiest to dress the salad with my hands. Gently toss the salad with your fingers until the kale is well coated. Taste for additional salt and lemon juice and add more if needed.

The salad can be made an hour before serving and kept in the fridge. Gently re-toss before serving.

Celery Gratin: Sharing Some Celery Love

I’ve been a long admirer of the British food writer, Jane Grigson, and I especially enjoy her lovely book, Good Things. It’s a treasure of seasonal cookery (now there’s a word I wish was in more popular use!) and she shares a wealth of information in a friendly, wise manner.

One of my discoveries is her brilliant combination of celery, butter and salt. I generally think of stuffing celery with peanut butter or cream cheese ... rather ho-hum but a decent snack. Jane Grigson shares what is by far the tastiest way to enjoy raw celery - with good butter and sea salt. If you haven’t tried this before, spread a stalk of celery thickly with your best butter and sprinkle some Maldon sea salt on top. So simple and so good.

Celery is the spotlight of this week’s Food52 recipe contest. A new challenge and stretching your imagination is always fun, and creating a recipe based on celery certainly affords this opportunity. Since I didn’t have any experience with cooking celery, other than adding it to soups, I wanted to see what I could come up with.

The first step was easy since I already knew it to be delicious - sauté the celery in butter and salt. From there a gratin began to unfold. Cherry tomatoes add a pop of color and bright flavor, and the white wine, butter, cream and Gruyere cheese ... well, you can imagine all they add! The celery flavor shines through and the softer texture from cooking it is pleasing. Sweet tomatoes, wine and cream form a tangy, rich sauce and Gruyere cheese adds a nutty, indulgent finish.

I’m appreciating celery’s versatility and happy to see it escape the crudités platter to become a more inspiring dish.

Celery Gratin
Serves 4

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 bunch of celery (approximately 1 1/2 pounds), leaves removed (save for soup) and stalks cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 teaspoon kosher salt
A few grinds of fresh black pepper
3/4 cup white wine
1 pint cherry tomatoes, rinsed and sliced in half
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 cup Gruyere cheese, grated

Preheat the oven 350 degrees. Have an 8x8 or 9x9 inch broiler safe baking dish ready.

In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the celery slices, salt and pepper and stir to coat. Cook for about 10-15 minutes, until the celery begins to soften nicely. Add the wine and bring to a simmer. Stir in the tomatoes and continue to simmer for 5 minutes. Pour the mixture into the baking dish and pop it in the oven for 15 minutes. Give it a stir about halfway through.

Remove the dish from the oven, stir in the cream and sprinkle the cheese on top. Return the baking dish to the oven for 5-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted. If desired, turn on the broiler and let the cheese brown a little. Serve warm with some crusty bread to soak up the sauce.