Two more kale recipes from Six Seasons. First up is The Kale Salad That Started It All p 309.
Not the best kale salad I've had but quick and easy. Dressed only with crushed garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and chile flakes and topped with Pecorino Romano and the Dry Breadcrumbs p 30.
I'd play around with this recipe again. I'm wondering how it would taste with some of the vinegar-soaked raisins used in the recipe below.
The next recipe is titled, "Wilted Kale, Alone or Pickled on Cheese Toast" p 311. I liked this a lot.
I don't understand the title. Golden raisins (regular specimens here) are plumped in white wine vinegar for an hour and eventually tossed with kale that's been sautéed with garlic and a generous amount of olive oil - 1/4 cup oil/8oz kale. This is to sit for another hour or two so it seems to me the kale is getting pickled whether it goes on toast or not. It's suggested that more olive oil be added to the kale/raisin/vinegar mixture at this point. I did not do so.
Next, we are to spread grilled bread (toasted, here) with a thick layer of the Whipped Ricotta p 37 (ricotta, blended with olive oil, salt and pepper), top with "a juicy mountain of kale" and toasted walnuts and finish with yet more olive oil. I used my Misto to dispense the smallest drizzle of olive oil, but I don't think it was necessary.
As I said, I thought this was quite good. The regular raisins almost blend into the kale, color-wise, so I'm sure the golden raisins would have made for a nicer visual, but either way, after marinating in vinegar, they bring a nice punch of sweet-sour flavor.
I've had mixed feelings about that whipped ricotta. Tasted on its own, I was dismayed that I'd wasted lovely homemade ricotta and made it all heavy and oily. It turned into a lovely sauce in the Pasta with Broccoli & Sausage p 179. I found it unappealingly heavy again in the Farro & Roasted Carrot Salad p 291 but I liked it here on the toast. That said, I don't think I'd make it again just for this dish and would likely choose one of the suggested alternates - fresh sheep or goat cheese. I think a plain ricotta would be good, too. I'll try that as I have some in the fridge.
The main thing I'd do differently concerns the kale. The recipe says the leaves should be torn into big pieces. If you're going to put this on toast, it would be better to chop it smaller, unless you have razor-sharp teeth that can cut through that "juicy mountain of kale" without having stray leaves landing on your chin and/or nice clean shirt 
. I knew this, but followed the recipe anyway because I was being a sheep 
