In my last post I dreamt of exotic North Africa and conjured up a cake with fragrant with orange blossom water. Well, I’m still stuck on a sunny kick, so today I wanted to make a Middle Eastern-inspired salad with sweet and tart pomegranate molasses.
A few months ago I tried pomegranate molasses for the first time in a Turkish lentil salad, and haven’t been able to get it out of my head since then. Not to be confused with grenadine, pomegranate molasses is commonly used in Middle Eastern cuisine and is the concentrated juice of pomegranate arils. It’s deliciously sweet, intensely sour, and slightly tannic all at the same time; aka the perfect sauce/vinaigrette base.
I had picked up some gorgeously bumpy, deep green dinosaur kale at Whole Foods, so I knew I wanted to include it in my salad. Also known as Lacinto kale, cavolo nero, black cabbage, or Tuscan kale, it’s a hearty green chock full of iron, calcium, vitamin C, vitamin K, and carotenoids (the precursors of vitamin A) and is delicious in soups and stews.
But I wasn’t making a stew. I had read about making oven-roasted chips out of kale, and this technique intrigued me. Instead blanching the leaves, which would soften them and dilute their flavor and nutrients, I wanted cooked greens that could hold their own in the salad. So I shredded the leaves finely, tossed them with a bit of oil and salt, and roasted them for half an hour until they were crisp and slightly browned. Curious, I just had to try some before I dumped them into the bowl so I tasted a clump of the crunchy, chewy, greens and I kid you not I actually said aloud, “Are you serious?” It was so unbelievably delicious! I couldn’t believe I hadn’t tried roasted kale before. I mean, I barely stopped myself from eating the whole sheet (Sure, I like vegetables, but I rarely have to utilize self-control when eating them). I made a mental note right then and there and you should too: roasted kale = delectable. I will definitely be cooking greens this way again.
Anyways, back to the salad: along with the kale, I had roasted some sweet butternut squash, but decided this dish needed a third contributing member. Continuing with the Middle Eastern theme I cooked up some bulgur, which is parcooked, cracked durum wheat. Bulgur is satisfyingly chewy and perfect in tabbouleh, soups, and stuffings (also worth noting, bulgur is high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals and low on the glycemic index).
The chewy kale, tender squash, and toothsome bulgur got tossed with a quick pomegranate vinaigrette, as well as some chopped fresh parsley and green onions, and finally some crunchy toasted walnuts. This dish takes your mouth on an unexpected journey, satisfying every taste bud, and is just what the doctor ordered for an early March weekend without any exotic travel plans in sight.
Dinosaur Kale, Butternut Squash, and Bulgur Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette
This salad makes a perfect portable lunch (no need to refrigerate!) or vegetarian entrée salad. If fresh pomegranates are in season, tossing a few of the sweet arils in wouldn’t be a bad idea. Look for dried Aleppo pepper, a mild and fruity pepper common in Turkish cuisine. I used a California chile, which are also very mild and have a complex, fruity aroma that reminds me of caramelized tomato paste.
Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
1 bunch dinosaur kale
2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 small butternut squash
1/3 cup walnuts
1 cup bulgur wheat
½ cup coarsely chopped Italian parsley
½ cup coarsely chopped green onions
Pomegranate Vinaigrette:
1 small dried California chile or 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
3 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Roast the vegetables: Preheat the oven to 375° F. Thinly slice (chiffonade) the kale, toss it with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt, then spread it out evenly on a baking sheet and roast until it has shrunk in volume and is crisp and brown on the edges, about 30 minutes. Peel, seed, and cube the butternut squash, toss it with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt, then spread it out evenly on a baking sheet and roast until it is tender and browned on the edges. Let both vegetables cool on their baking sheets.
Toast the walnuts: Spread the walnuts out on a baking pan and toast them in the oven for 8-10 minutes, until they are lightly browned, fragrant, and crisp. Let them cool and then chop coarsely, and set them aside.
Cook the bulgur: In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups of water, 1 teaspoon salt, and the bulgur to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer 20 minutes, until the bulgur is al dente. Drain any remaining water off the bulgur and spread it on a plate to cool.
Make the vinaigrette: In a dry skillet, toast the chile (flipping it over a couple times and pressing it down on the pan) until it is pliable and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Take off the stem and seeds (if desired) and finely grind the chili in a spice grinder. Skip this step if using the Aleppo pepper. Whisk the chile powder, pomegranate molasses, vinegar, and extra virgin olive oil together, along with the remaining 2 teaspoons salt.
To serve: Toss the roasted kale, butternut squash, bulgur, walnuts, parsley, green onions, and vinaigrette together. Taste for seasoning (you may need to add a splash of pomegranate molasses, vinegar olive oil, or salt depending on your tastes) and serve warm or room temperature. The salad can be made in advance, and keeps for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
