This week Chef Tim Donahoe is working hard to get moved into his new house on the shores of Bull Shoals Lake … but he’s also hard at work meeting Mountain Home’s local farmers and thinking of new menu items for the ‘Fork.
Here’s a short video of his trip to visit Age Old Agriculture – a farm along banks of the White River, just upstream from Cotter.
Ellie gave Tim some Kale to try, and his recipe is below – you can buy some now at the farm and try it out at home – or come over to the ‘Fork over the next few weeks to try it when Tim makes it. Or – do both and see whether you like your version, or Tim’s better!
Tim Donaho’s Kale Salad
Salad serves 4
- ½ cup pecans
- 8 ounces Green kale (Lacinato or Tuscan Kale will give you a bit more tender of a bite)
- 4 medium radishes
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- 1 medium Granny Smith apple
Dressing
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon smooth Dijon mustard
- 1 ½ teaspoons honey
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spread the pecans on a baking tray. Toast them until lightly golden and fragrant, about 5 to 10 minutes, tossing them once or twice to make sure they bake evenly. Remove the tray from the oven and set them aside to cool.
- Pull the kale leaves off from the tough stems and discard the stems. Use a chef’s knife to chop the kale into small, bite-sized pieces. Transfer the kale to a big salad bowl. Sprinkle a small pinch of sea salt over the kale and massage the leaves with your hands by lightly scrunching big handfuls at a time, until the leaves are darker in color and fragrant.
- Thinly slice the radishes. Add them to the bowl.
- Add Toasted Pecans and Cranberries to the bowl. Chop the apple into small, bite-sized pieces and add it to the bowl as well.
- In a small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients together and pour the dressing over the salad. Toss until the salad is evenly coated with dressing. Serve immediately, or for even better flavor, let the salad marinate in the dressing for 10 to 20 minutes beforehand.
Try substituting the Pecans with Walnuts or slivered Almonds, The Cranberries with dried Cherries or even Golden Raisins, The Apple with Pears, or the Honey with Maple syrup or even Brown Sugar. For another variation top your salad with goat cheese or cubed fresh Mozzarella.
The 'Fork 