Raw Kale Salad With Warm Bacon Vinaigrette Food

KALE AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH SALAD WITH WARM BACON VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Whisk the vinegar, honey and a pinch of salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the kale, red onion and squash and toss. Massage with your fingers until everything is evenly coated and the kale softens slightly.
• Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the rosemary. Let sit until it stops sizzling, about 1 minute.
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon pieces to the salad. Pour the bacon drippings into a small bowl; you should have about 5 tablespoons (if you don't, add more olive oil to make up the difference). Add the warm bacon drippings to the salad and toss well; season with salt and pepper. Top with the pomegranate seeds.

RAW KALE SALAD WITH WARM BACON VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Lay the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat and cook to your desired crispness, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, reserving the drippings and leaving any crunchy bits in the skillet.
• While the bacon cooks, remove the stems from the kale and discard. Roll up the leaves lengthwise and slice crosswise into thin strips. Transfer to a large bowl; add the nuts, chickpeas and Parmesan.
• Return the skillet to medium heat and add back 3 tablespoons of the reserved bacon drippings. (If you don't have 3 tablespoons, make up the difference with olive oil.) Add the shallots and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Whisk in the vinegar, brown sugar and mustard, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the skillet. Remove the vinaigrette from the heat and season with salt and pepper.
• Chop the bacon and add it to the bowl. Drizzle in the warm dressing and toss to coat the salad. Serve immediately.

KALE AND SMOKED BACON SALAD WITH ZINFANDEL VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Combine vinegar, shallots, and mustard in medium bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.
• Cook bacon in large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp; transfer to paper towels. Reserve skillet with drippings.
• Fill large bowl with ice water. Bring large pot of water to boil; add 2 tablespoons coarse salt. Add all of kale and cook 2 minutes. Drain; transfer kale to ice water and let cool until cold, about 1 minute. Drain kale. Working in batches, spin drained kale in salad spinner to remove additional water. Place kale in large bowl. Crumble bacon into 1/2-inch pieces and add to kale.
• Rewarm drippings in skillet. Whisk 2 tablespoons drippings into vinaigrette (reserve remaining drippings for another use). Season vinaigrette with coarse salt and pepper. Toss salad with vinaigrette.