Warm Kale Salad with Caramelized Goat Cheese
22 February 2008 by Jean Johnson
“What do you do with that?” said Nicole, the deli manager at my neighborhood Fred Meyers. “We sell so much of it, but I’ve never known what people do with it.”
“It’s all the Norwegians that live here in Portland,” I said. “They mostly eat it shaved thinly onto good dark breads or homemade heart-shaped waffles, maybe with some jam. At least that’s how my family did,” I said, tossing a couple packages of gjetost (yet-ost) in my basket. “For me, though, it’s different. I use it mostly with vegetables. It’s a little bit sweet and so helps the cause quite a bit.”
I haven’t said much about gjetost here because I spend a page on it in my forthcoming book, Cooking Beyond Measure. Still, since Nicole asked and because in my view gjetost is one of those undiscovered gems, let’s talk a fast flash cooking warm salad.
Warm Kale Salad with Gjetost
Recipe Note
Flash cook a rustic chop of kale in a puddle of water over high heat where it wilts in a couple minutes. Pull the skillet off the heat and toss in leftover baked spaghetti squash.
Dress with a squeeze of lemon juice, some salt, pepper, and good oil. Garnish with chunks of apple and gjetost snugged down into the vegetables so the cheese melts and gets and creamy–basically saucing right on your plate.
3 Responses to “Warm Kale Salad with Caramelized Goat Cheese”
I think every pantry needs Jean in it! I’ve decided I am a terrible grocery shopper; I can make amazing dishes but haven’t a clue on just getting everything on site and then using Hippe or Measure Free books to cook. Oy…
By Jennifer Fredricksen on Dec 29, 2010
For starters a nice artisan blue cheese could work here easily. Or a chevre.
Then it’s a matter of working with seasonal produce–things like spaghetti squash, kale, and apples. Just bake up a couple spaghys when you have time and the base for all manner of warm winter salads will be waiting in your fridge.
Then there’s oil, vinegar (or lemon), salt, and pepper.
Sometimes I think it’s because we buy too much product at the store–spendy bottles of this and that instead of the basics ?
Anyhow, after New Years I’ll do a new post on this. Good comment.
By Jean Johnson on Dec 30, 2010
Jennifer–I did a pantry post for you. 3 Jan 2011
By Jean Johnson on Jan 3, 2011