Kale Salad with Pomegranate, Farro, and Spicy-Sugared Bacon
We serve this bomb-ass salad every year at Thanksgiving. Farro gives a lovey chew and texture to this salad but if you have trouble finding it, you can either leave it out or substitute with Israeli couscous or quinoa. Be sure to make extra of the spicy-sugared bacon, because it is impossible not to steal slices off the pan before they make it into the salad.
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- 5-6 strips of thick cut bacon
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1-2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 cups, packed diced kale, stems removed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup pomegranate arils
- 1/3 cup farro grains
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350*F.
- Cook the farro on the stovetop, according to the instructions on the package (there is no need to salt the water). Set aside to cool.
- Layer a baking sheet with parchment paper or tin foil, and spread the bacon evenly on the pan. Mix the brown sugar and chili powder together in a small bowl and spoon evenly on top of the bacon, coating it as much as possible. Bake the bacon for 10-12 minutes or until the bacon has begun to crisp and the sugar is bubbling. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
- Toss the kale leaves with the olive oil and salt in a large serving bowl. Massage the kale as much as possible- I like to take small handfuls of leaves in my hands and rub them vigorously until all the leaves have been rubbed soft.
- Once the bacon has cooled, roughly chop and toss with the kale.
- Add the pomegranate arils and cooked farro to the salad and toss everything together.
- Season with lemon and salt if desired, and serve.
Notes
The more you massage your kale, the more it will melt in your mouth instead of making you feel like you're eating rabbit food. Lather up with the olive oil and get rubbing those leaves!
Farro is cooked like pasta and stored, cooked, like rice; it will keep great in a tightly covered container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
You can spice the bacon up or down as you wish; sometimes I'll cut the heat of the chili powder in half.
Here's how you can get pomegranate arils out of a pomegranate without splattering your kitchen in red juice and making it look like a crime scene: Fill a large mixing bowl with water. Slice the pomegranate in half along its equator. Underneath the water, rip the pomegranate apart with your hands and separate the arils from the white pith. The pith will float to the top; the arils will sink to the bottom. Just skim the top of the water away and discard the pith, then drain the water for the arils.
This salad will keep overnight- and possibly up to two days- if covered tightly and kept cold in the refrigerator.