Strawberry Pecan Kale Salad with Cane Syrup Vinaigrette

I recently made this salad when I went to my homeland. One of my favorite things about cooking at my parents is the abundance of ingredients in their yard. My dad grew the strawberries and my mom grew the kale. My mom picked the pecans in the fall and froze them for later use.

It’s simple to make yet it’s special and rejoices spring. Check the notes for seasonal variations.

Cane Syrup Vinaigrette Ingredients
1 Tbl minced garlic
½ c + 1 Tbl of fresh lemon juice
2 + 1/4 tsp creole mustard
4 c + 2 Tbl olive oil
¼ c + 2 Tbl Steen’s cane syrup

Cane Syrup Vinaigrette Directions
Put the ingredients in a jar, close the lid tightly, and shake well. Taste and adjust any ingredients. Let the flavors marry for at least an hour. Store it in the fridge in a sealed container for a couple of weeks.

Strawberry Pecan Kale Salad Ingredients
(4 servings)
4 tsp butter
1 cup of pecans
½ tsp salt
8 cups of Dino kale after the stems are removed
2 c of sliced strawberries
1 cup of soft cheese (goat, ricotta, Egyptian feta)

Strawberry Pecan Kale Salad Directions
Preheat an oven and a small sheet pan or pyrex at 350. Remove the pan from the oven, add the butter. After the butter melts, add the pecans and toss them to coat. Push the pecans together in a single layer. Evenly sprinkle the salt (use your hand and hold it high to get better coverage), and toss the pecans. Spread the pecans out and bake for about 11 minutes. The pecans should be darker in color and fragrant. Your nose is a good indicator of doneness here — once the nuts are fragrant, keep a close eye on them. Taste a pecan (allow to cool for a few seconds) and if doesn’t have a crisp bite, cook a little longer (but careful not to burn them).

Wash the kale and pat dry. Strip the leaves from the stems then tear into bite size pieces. Put the leaves in a large bowl and squeeze the kale with your hands. You’ll see an immediate color change. Once you have the new color on all of the leaves, pour ¾ of the dressing on the salad, mix, and taste. Kale is strong so you can use more dressing than you typically would on a lettuce salad. Add more as needed. Allow to sit for 30 minutes before eating.

Divide the kale on four plates. Top each plate with ¼ c of pecans, ½ cup of strawberries and ¼ cup of cheese.

Notes
For the salad dressing, use fresh garlic. Jarred minced garlic while may be ok in cooked applications, is not nearly as good in a raw form.

Please please please make your own buttered pecans or buy them freshly made. The kind in a bag or sealed container are not as good.

Seasonal variations (add the dressing immediately before eating):
winter: dried figs and arugula
summer: fresh figs or blueberries with spinach
fall: satsumas or mandarins with frisee and red leaf lettuce