Baby Kale Caesar Salad

One recent Saturday night, hubby and I thoroughly enjoyed dinner at Arcadia, a local culinary treasure tucked into a brick building in downtown Richmond.  We, unknowingly at first, dined at the two-top table where Daniel Day-Lewis had lunch while filming Steven Spielberg's movie, Lincoln, back in late 2011. 

In 1992, I fell in love with this prized actor during my first viewing of Last of the Mohicans.  As he ran at lightning speed through the woods with his mahogany hair and muscular build, I was reeled in with vigor.  He oozed masculinity and raw, romantic simplicity.  Fast forward 20 years, and you can see why I was drawn into every single moment of this meal at Arcadia, sitting at the table where the understated, mega-talented actor once feasted on steak and broccoli rabe. 

. . . Moving onto the food since this is primarily a food blog rather than a Fifty Shades of Daniel Day tribute (smile) . . .

I started my meal with a Baby Kale Caesar Salad, and my taste buds will never be the same.  I love kale, not only for the nutritional value, but also for the unique, slightly bitter taste and ruffled, leafy texture it bestows.  Kale holds up to hot soups, adds zing to tacos, and is perfect when sauteed with garlic, red pepper flakes, and a dash of nutmeg. 

The rest of my meal was magical, as well, but the focus of this post is to pay a lovely tribute to a traditional Caesar Salad's sassy cousin. 

Arcadia's version included lemon oil, white anchovies, and roasted garlic croutons.  If I had more time in my day, I would have gone the extra mile and attempted their insanely delicious creation.  I made mine with a simple, homemade Caesar dressing and found that it was wildly wonderful dressed in this and nothing else.  Enjoy. 

Baby Kale Caesar Salad
inspired by:  Arcadia's version, www.arcadiarichmond.com

Ingredients (for salad and homemade dressing):
fresh kale (woody stems removed at ends, leaves roughly chopped and rinsed)
3-4 garlic cloves
1 T Dijon mustard
1 T white wine vinegar
2 T mayo
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
S & P
2-3 T grated parmesan cheese (optional)

The Process:
For the dressing, toss the garlic cloves, mustard, vinegar, mayo, olive oil, lemon juice, and parmesan (if adding parm) into a food processor and pulse until smooth.  Taste it for seasoning needs, and then add S & P as needed.  Pulse again.

This dressing is not a traditional Caesar, as there are no anchovies involved, but the taste is still out of this world.  The garlic flavor is incredibly strong, so if you enjoy your garlic on the milder side, just reduce the amount.  Add a few minced anchovy filets if you desire, also. 

Drizzle the dressing onto the kale leaves, and toss to combine.  

Raw.  Simple.  Flirty.  Nourishing.