Pickled crackers and marinated kale—what is the world coming to?

 

Marinate kale with salmon
Oops, I had eaten most of it before I remembered to take a picture.

Normally I would breeze right by recipes like these two. My mom used to crumble saltines into hot milk with butter when we were sick, and, yes, they got soggy. She also crumbled them into a can of diced tomatoes and that is comfort food to me to this day. But the crackers were soggy. So how could you pickle them? Nonetheless I tried this recipe one night when Subie and Phil were coming over—she particularly likes pickles. I cut this recipe in half, mostly because the whole recipe calls for so much olive oil:

Pickled crackers

1-1/2 cups olive oil

½ tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 pkg. ranch seasoning mix

1 Tbsp. dill pickle juice

1 Tbsp. dried dill

1 (11 oz.) box mini saltines

Combine everything but the saltines in a Ziploc bag. Close and gently shake to mix ingredients thoroughly. Add the saltines, close again, and gently turn the bag to be sure all the crackers are covered with the marinade.

Arrange the crackers on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 250^o for about 15 or 20 minutes, until the crackers are golden brown, and the oil is absorbed.

We liked these a lot, but we thought the pickle flavor was a bit mild. If making a half recipe again, I would double the pickle juice and dried dill and be sure to mix the ingredients more thoroughly. Also I couldn’t find mini saltines and used standard size, which may have made a difference in how they were coated with the marinade. I’ll look for mini again next time.

 

Marinated kale salmon salad

The first time I had kale, it was fried—light, airy, it kind of fizzed away in my mouth. But then I tasted kale in salads and was instantly sure I didn’t like it. I was of the school that believed if you add a little coconut oil to the skillet with the kale, it’s easier to throw it in the trash. But the recipe got me, mostly because it has lots of lemon and salmon. The recipe comes from Julia Pizzolato, an independent marketing consultant and also a terrific cook who posts recipes once a week. (Side note: Julia lives in Palm Springs, but she used to live in Austin and before that she lived in the garage apartment next door to me.) She credits this dish to the True Food restaurant in Austin.

2 bunches kale, stems removed, washed, and chopped into shreds

Ingredients:

½ cup olive oil

¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

3 garlic cloves, minced

½ tsp. kosher salt

Pinch of red pepper flakes

½ cup good Parmesan or Pecorino cheese finely grated

2 Tbsp. lightly toasted breadcrumbs

Some cautions: This is best if you start it hours before you want to eat.

Julia used fresh, roast salmon; I have that good, canned salmon that comes straight from Alaska, and I substituted that. Your choice.

Be sure to get curly leaf kale, baby if you can find it, but not the straight leaf stuff. And even if it says pre-washed, wash it again. When I ordered two bunches, I got huge bunches and only used one.

Be sure to use freshly squeezed lemon juice—no substitutes.

Mix the dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk thoroughly. Pour over kale, toss well, and stir gently until the kale begins to soften. Let the kale sit, covered, on the counter for at least one hour and preferably six or overnight in the refrigerator. This long marinating time is essential to the recipe.

To serve, toss the kale with the breadcrumbs and cheese; Top with salmon and sprinkle with more cheese if you like.

Trust me, this was delicious. Jordan, Jean, and I ate heartily and still had leftovers, but it did not keep well.