Kale Salad with Smoked Almonds and Picada Crumbs

• servings: 6 servings
• total time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

4 ounces chewy white bread, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 medium shallots, halved and thinly sliced

2 teaspoons fresh thyme

5 tablespoons sherry vinegar

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

Kosher salt and ground

2 bunches lacinato kale, stemmed, washed, spun dry black pepper and thinly sliced crosswise (10 cups)

2 tablespoons honey

8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup lightly packed fresh mint, chopped

1 cup smoked almonds

Directions

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the shallots, vinegar and ¼ teaspoon salt. Let sit for 10 minutes. Whisk in the honey, 5 tablespoons of the oil and ½ teaspoon pepper; set aside.

2. In a food processor, process the almonds until roughly chopped, about 8 pulses; transfer to a large bowl. Add the bread to the processor and process to rough crumbs, about 20 seconds. Add the thyme, the remaining 3 tablespoons oil, the paprika, ¼ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Process until incorporated, about 10 seconds.

3. Transfer the crumb mixture to a 12-inch skillet over medium and cook, stirring frequently, until crisp and browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool.

4. Add the kale and mint to the bowl with the almonds and massage the greens until the kale softens and darkens, 10 to 20 seconds. Add the dressing and crumbs and toss to combine. Taste, then season with salt and pepper.

Notes

Flavorful and seasonal, kale is a prime candidate for a winter salad. But when eaten raw, the hardy leaves can be unpleasantly tough. We started with lacinato kale, also known as dinosaur or Tuscan kale, as its long blue-green leaves are sweeter and more tender than curly kale Thinly slicing the greens was the first step to making them more salad-friendly. Then we massaged the leaves with chopped smoked almonds that acted as an abrasive to further soften their structure. An acidic shallo-sherry vinaigrette also helped soften and brighten the kale look for a sherry vinegar aged at least three years). Intensely flavorful paprika breadcrumbs, inspired by picada, a Catalan sauce, tied everything together.