Eckert's Kale Salad with Strawberries

I am new to the world of kale! I have seen it in magazines and blogs everywhere over the past year and yet I have very little experience with it in my own kitchen. This year Eckert’s is growing kale which presents the perfect opportunity to start a collection of kale recipes.

 My kids have been having fun picking it from our garden at Eckert’s. It is easy to harvest the curly, bluish leaves with a little twist of the wrist. We currently have some Eckert-grown kale for sale in our Country Store in Belleville.

 I have made this kale salad several times this spring. The original recipe called for apples instead of strawberries and that too is delicious. But with strawberry season soon coming to an end, I find myself assembling this salad a lot lately. In fact, we’ve already had it twice this week!

As I tear the fresh-picked kale leaves in to bite size pieces for my serving bowl, I remove and compost the center stems. (When eating kale raw, I find the stems to be exceptionally bitter and somewhat tough.) For quick assembly, I keep a Ball jar of the dressing in my frig. This salad’s tangy dressing, sweet fruit and creamy Manchego cheese temper the bitter kale flavors quite well. Since I am fairly new to eating raw kale, I LOVE the balance of flavors in this recipe.

I hope you will give the homegrown strawberries and kale combo a try- it will amaze you!

Eat well this spring, Angie

For Dressing:
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt

For the Salad
1 large bunch (about 1lb) kale, stems torn, cut out, or julienned
1/3 cup dried apricots, julienned
1/4 cup almond slivers
2 ounces manchego cheese, grated
1/4 cup dried cranberries
2 cups sliced strawberries 

In a large bowl whisk the vinegar, lemon juice, mayonnaise, sugar and salt. Add the kale and toss to coat well. Set aside for 10 minutes. Sprinkle the apricots, almonds, cheese, and cranberries over the dressed kale. Toss again to evenly distribute. Season with pepper and additional salt, if needed. Arrange strawberry slices over the top of the salad and serve.

P.S. Do you have a great recipe using kale? If so, please share with me! I will gladly trade you some fresh kale for a fabulous recipe. Just email me at Angie.eckert@eckerts.com

We are excited to announce that we have a large vegetable garden planted that will be available for pick-your-own in early July - like us on facebook for the most up to date picking information. 

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumbed-Top Pie

My husband Chris adores Eckert’s bakery Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. Of course, I do too but sometimes I get a bee in my bonnet to make my very own pie. Thanks to this week’s bounty of ripe strawberries in the field, I had plenty of home-grown berries to bake my version called Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb-Topped Pie. I love crumb topped pies and this recipe’s topping has a delicious harmony of sugar, flour and butter. Tart rhubarb and sweet, homegrown strawberries pair so well that you’ll even woo the non-rhubarb lover!

And for the crust…. I didn't have quite enough time to make my own so I used the next best thing, an Eckert’s frozen pie shell from our bakery. I like to pinch the crust before baking to give it a homemade touch or should I say disguise.

 I made this pie at work and sampled a few slices to my co-workers. I received rave reviews and lots of comments like “I didn't know I liked rhubarb!” Tonight  I plan to take the rest of the pie home for Chris. It will officially be his first pie of the year with homegrown berries. Yay!

Eat well this spring, Angie

1⅓ cups granulated sugar

⅓ cup flour

2 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced

2 cups rhubarb, chopped into 1 inch pieces

1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell

2 Tbs. butter, cut into pieces

Crumb Topping

1 cup flour

⅓ cup granulated sugar

½ tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. salt

½ cup cold butter, cut into pieces

Preheat oven to 375°F. In a medium bowl, combine granulated sugar and flour and set aside. In a large mixing bowl combine strawberries and rhubarb; add sugar/flour mixture to fruit. Pour contents into pie shell and dot with butter. To prepare crumb topping: in a medium bowl combine flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Cut butter into mixture until topping is crumbly. Sprinkle topping over top of fruit. Bake for 20 minutes: reduce temperature to 350°F and continue to bake until rhubarb is tender when tested with a toothpick or the point of a paring knife. Makes 6 servings.

If you would like to learn how to make your own pie crust in a hands-on class with experienced bakers, join us for our upcoming class……