On a recent trip to visit the family in Los Angeles, we went for a birthday dinner to Osteria Mozza. It was one of those 3-hour dinners where the food keeps coming and the wine is flowing.

I do believe I ate most of the kale salad when it came out. It had the perfect amount of lemon zestiness, mild anchovies, and it was topped with grated Parmigiano Reggiano and pine nuts. My version here is simply an interpretation of the heavenly dish that was served to us that night. It’s pretty gosh darn tasty if you ask me and I can eat a whole bowl of it in one sitting. I served the final trial of this at the Rosh Hashanah potluck at my house and it went too fast to save any for leftovers.

Kale Salad with Pecorino and Pine Nuts
1 bunch Lacinato kale
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon
hefty pinch of salt
1/8 cup pine nuts, toasted
2-3 Tablespoons Pecorino Romano, grated or shaved
black pepper
mild or white anchovies, optional
1/4 cup raisins, optional

Wash and dry the kale. Tear away the stems by folding the kale in half and ripping the green away in 1 (or 2) tears. Bunch the kale together on your cutting board and cut into 2-inch strips. Throw in a large bowl.

In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, zest, and salt. Drizzle half of this mixture over the kale and massage well for at least a couple of minutes, making sure to work the dressing into each piece of kale. If you need more dressing after massaging for a minute, add the rest. If not, save for another day: the dressing stretches far and you don’t need much. Place kale in the fridge until ready to serve.

Right before serving, add the raisins and mix. Add the pine nuts and pecorino to the top, and the anchovies if using as well. Sprinkle black pepper on top and serve.