Rachel Khoo: Kale force

After the excesses of the festive season, the last thing on our minds is cooking and eating. But since a fresh salad is far from seasonal in the depths of winter, it’s around this time of year that I start turning to leafy winter vegetables such as kale, chicory and radicchio to satisfy my craving for light, healthy and fast fare. Kale crisps up a dream in the oven to provide a lovely leafy base for a warm winter salad. Jewelled with citrus fruits and garnished with crunchy walnuts and croutons, this is what January is all about.

Crunchy kale and citrus salad

Serves 2

200g kale

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 thick slice rye bread

50g walnuts

1 pink grapefruit

1 large orange

70g Gorgonzola, or other blue cheese

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas Mark 4 and line a large baking tray with foil. Cut the kale into ribbons, discarding the tough lower part of the stem. Toss the ribbons with the lemon juice, 1 tbsp of the olive oil and the garlic, and spread out on the baking tray. Season well and bake for 10-15 minutes, until crisp but not brown. Stir every 5 minutes so that it cooks evenly.

Line another baking tray with foil. Cut the bread into 2cm cubes and toss with the remaining olive oil and the walnuts. Place in the oven for 10 minutes to crisp.

Meanwhile, segment the grapefruit by top and tailing, then slice away the skin and pith.

Cut between the membranes to remove the individual segments. Place the segments in a bowl and squeeze the juice from the remaining ‘skeleton’ of the membrane over the top. Repeat the whole process with the orange.

Remove the kale, croutons and walnuts from the oven and toss together in a serving bowl. Cube the Gorgonzola and scatter over the top. Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil to serve.