This is one of our favorite salads from a local lunch spot in downtown San Francisco. The romaine lightens up the kale, and the flavors of the dill with the creamy dressing and feta are simply delicious together! When we took our first bite, we knew we had to reverse-engineer it. We combined our powers of observation along with techniques from panzanella salad and Caesar salad to build this recipe.
1 | Cook the chicken breast until its internal temp reaches 165°F. Rest the chicken, tented, until cool enough to handle. Reserve any chicken juices for the croutons. Either shred the chicken into fluffy chunks with a fork or dice the chicken into chunks. Set the chicken aside or cool in the fridge. |
2 | Prepare the croutons by slicing the bread into 1-inch cubes. Preheat a large stainless skillet over medium-low heat. Add olive oil, twirl the skillet to coat, then add the bread. Drizzle on any chicken juices from the previous step. Cook for about 10 minutes tossing frequently. Season with salt and pepper, and add more olive oil mid-way if needed. Croutons should be crisp, but not so hard that they scratch the roof of your mouth. Remove from burner and set aside. |
3 | Alternatively, you could simply toss the bread cubes in the chicken drippings, olive oil, salt, and pepper and bake them in the oven until crisp. |
4 | For the dressing, start by making a garlic paste by chopping in salt with garlic then periodically cleaning the side of your knife against the cutting board to rework the residual garlic into the paste. Repeat until the paste has a fine consistency. |
5 | In a large mixing bowl, transfer in the garlic paste, then whisk in the lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and (optional) anchovy paste. Then add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream while whisking continually. |
6 | Add the romaine, kale, green onions, dill, and croutons to the large mixing bowl. Toss to coat. |
7 | Transfer the salad into the serving bowls and top with the feta. |
source: San Francisco's Harvest and Rowe
notes
If preparing this salad in advance to enjoy later that day (like for a picnic or road trip), toss everything except the romaine and croutons with the dressing. The kale is pretty hearty, so it can sit in the dressing for longer than the romaine. Rest the romaine and croutons on top, then mix it in right before serving. Store the dressing, croutons, and salad base separately if you plan to enjoy the salad the next day.
Kale has cancer-fighting anti-angiogenic healing powers. :)
balancing diet
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