RECIPE: Golden, garlicky croutons make weeknight kale Caesar special

Kale Caesar with Garlic Croutons. (Chris Hunt for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Credit: Chris Hunt

Credit: Chris Hunt

Kale Caesar with Garlic Croutons. (Chris Hunt for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

I am not typically a person who purchases pre-made salad dressings since it is quite easy to dress a bowl of greens with oil and vinegar, and I always have some variety of these ingredients on hand. But when it comes to making my favorite full-meal salad, a kale Caesar, I often turn to the bottled stuff so that I can devote plenty of time to making garlicky croutons to toss with the kale.

Garlic croutons start with garlic oil, which I make by slowly frying plenty of slivered garlic cloves (use pre-peeled if you’d like) in lots of olive oil. After straining out the crunchy garlic, I use most of the oil to then slowly fry cubes of French bread (no need to get a fancy loaf here) until crisp and golden brown. Right when the croutons finish, I stir in all of those garlic bits so that they stick to the croutons.

Meanwhile, use just a tablespoon or so of the garlic oil to massage into the kale as you fry the croutons. This step not only adds a hint of garlic flavor to the greens, but it also helps to break down the kale’s cell walls and soften its texture.

From there, all that’s left is to toss the greens and croutons together with plenty of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and the dressing. I like to start with just a half cup of dressing and add more if I need it.

Kale Caesar with Garlic Croutons. (Chris Hunt for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Credit: Chris Hunt

icon to expand image

Credit: Chris Hunt

* Choose a dressing that contains olive oil and Parmesan cheese; the more flavorful brands are typically sold refrigerated, near the produce.

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