This is less of a recipe and more of a guide, which I know is annoying but by the 1,000th time you make it, it will be perfect (haha). But really every time it tastes different but I do think it gets better the more times I make it! I know I’m underselling it but this is the best kale salad ever.

Depending on how much kale you’re using you may need more or less dressing and if you like your dressings more oil-forward, use less lemon juice.

Ingredients 

• Good quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil, about 1/2 cup
• Lemon juice and zest, about 1/2 cup
• 3 garlic cloves, more or less depending on how big the batch is
• Tuscan kale, I usually use about 3 bunches 
• Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated, about 1/2 cup 
• Red pepper flakes or Calabrian chilies, measured with your heart
• Kosher salt
• Breadcrumbs (recipe below)

Directions 

1. Clean and finely chop your kale and let it dry thoroughly (see note below). Add it to a big bowl.
2. Finely mince or grate your garlic cloves and add them to a small bowl with lemon juice, zest, and a pinch of salt. Add red pepper flakes or Calabrian chilies and stir. Stream in the olive oil — I always do equal parts lemon juice to Olive oil. 
3. Once ready to serve, about half of the dressing to the kale and massage it for a minute or two. I usually need to add a big pitch of salt. Now toss with the cheese.
4. Taste the salad, and at this point, you can add more dressing, lemon juice, Olive oil, salt, cheese, or spice. Just keep trying it until you love it! The salad can sit for a bit but don’t add the breadcrumbs until you’re ready to eat.

Breadcrumbs

• Panko breadcrumbs, 1/4 to 1/2 cup
• Olive oil, about one tablespoon
• Butter, one to two tablespoons  
• Kosher salt
• Garlic powder
• Red pepper flakes 

Directions

1. Add Olive oil and butter to a skillet and once melted, stir in the panko breadcrumbs. Cook until nice and toasted. I season with salt, a pinch of garlic powder, and red pepper flakes. 

Notes

• KALE: I find it easiest to finely chop the kale and then clean it using a salad spinner. When the kale is left whole it’s too big to clean properly, in my opinion. You’ll want to remove the stem in the middle so that there aren’t any tough bites in your salad.