Chopped Kale Salad with Hot Dates
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This kale salad is one I love to make in the winter — a hearty, colorful kale salad to satisfy all your sweet, salty and crunchy cravings. It’s hard not to love the contrast of flavors going on, with salty shreds of aged sheep cheese, sharp lemon juice and sweet-smoky fruit.
Medjool dates are dried dates, but far from hard and dry. They have a rich, candy-like quality and are really kind of luscious, all plump and tender inside.
And you can find them in almost every well-stocked market in the produce section year-round. I dream of eating a fresh-off-the-tree date, preferably right now while taking in the sight of an azure Mediterranean sky through a spray of palm fronds.
Chopped Kale Salad with Hot Dates
Ingredients
- 6 Medjool dates
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 bunch lacinato, Tuscan kale, stemmed
- Leaves from 2 romaine lettuce hearts
- 1 small head radicchio
- Juice from 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar, or red wine vinegar
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Flaked sea salt or kosher salt
- â…“ cup freshly grated aged sheep’s milk cheese, such as Manchego or Pecorino Romano
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375 (190 C) degrees.
- Halve the dates, remove the pits and slice each half into 4 slivers. Toss the dates with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil and the smoked paprika on a small baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes.
- While the dates are in the oven, rub the garlic on the inside of a big salad or serving bowl.
- Stack the kale leaves 2 or 3 at a time and slice crosswise into thin ribbons; repeat with romaine leaves. Cut the radicchio head in half and cut out the white core and slice the leaves into thin ribbons.
- Put all the leaves in the serving bowl. Add the remaining olive oil, lemon juice, black pepper to taste and a good pinch of salt. Toss with your hands to coat the leaves, add the cheese and toss again. Taste and season with more salt if needed.
- Distribute the warm dates over the salad and serve.
Karen’s Notes and Tips
- This salad is great to make ahead, as the dressing marinates and softens the kale leaves the longer it sits. Top with the warm dates just before serving.
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.
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Karen, this was a big hit with the family; so much so, that I am bringing it to a dinner party with all-foodie couples, and I know they will love it too! and now I am finding radicchio in the stores which I think will work better than the endive.
Wow, I’m so glad you told me that Taina. hope everyone enjoys 🙂
Holy moly, that sounds good! I am the worst about making kale, mostly because I can never get inspired to create a full dish out of it, but this has truly inspired me!! Smoky dates?! Yes, please.
Thanks Brooke. The dates are a nice, surprising touch.
Beautiful salad. Can’t wait to give it a try!
excited to be making this for dinner this evening! couldn’t find radicchio so am substituting another bitter (belgian endive); hope it works just as well.
I would never have thought of pairing dates and kale but this recipe is very intriguing!!!
Dreamy — and I’m totally craving kale right now. (Yes we had it for dinner.) Miss you!
This salad sounds fantastic. Dates, paprika, radicchio, sheep’s milk cheese. Assertive, sweet, savory, smoky. I am no fan of kale salad but I have to say, this one sounds really good. You are on a roll, lady!
you are making me so hungry! this looks wonderful.