Farmer Fred Johnson from Fred’s Homegrown Produce in Naselle, Washington hosted the Co-op’s first cooking demonstration of this kind. Fred is one of the farmers we work with directly to obtain the highest quality local produce around. For this event, Fred brought his Toscano Kale, and taught about a dozen attendees a new technique for making kale salad. In this case, Fred “massaged” thinly sliced kale, with salt. This made the kale start to release some of its liquid, giving way to a softer form of the dark leafy green. Then with a few additional simple ingredients from the Co-op, the dish was ready to taste. And boy was everyone happy once it hit their mouths! But, perhaps the best part of this day was getting to interact with Fred; a master at both cooking and farming, and passionate about local food.
Here’s the recipe for Fred’s Massaged Toscano Kale Salad
Ingredients:
Toscano Kale
Extra-virgin olive oil
Fresh Lemon
Parmesan
Garlic
Sea salt
Preparation:
Clean Toscano, removing stems from leaves. Chop/juilienne finely, and place in a good-sized bowl. Spinkle salt into the chopped kale and ‘massage’ into the kale. Allow to sit for a few minutes, then squeeze the juice of 1-2 lemons into the mix, & toss. Add extra virgin olive oil to taste, minced fresh garlic, and a sprinkle of finely grated Parmesan Cheese.