When Caleb and I first started dating, we watched Iron Chef America pretty religiously. Ten years ago, it was actually an excellent TV show (in our opinion), and the Iron Chefs were actually talented chefs. Bobby Flay was one of those talented Iron Chefs, and I had faith in his abilities both in the kitchen and as a cookbook author after sous chef-ing for a (wildly successful) dinner party based on recipes from his cookbook Mesa Grill.
Sadly, I've lost faith in his cookbooks recently. There wasn't much I wanted to make out of Bar American. I pre-ordered Brunch at Bobby's only to be disappointed by lackluster recipes. Bobby Flay Fit came out, I checked it out of the library and started cooking; now once again, I feel let down.
The good news first -- This mustard-marinated kale salad with caramelized onion and spicy chickpeas is quite good. It's definitely a different preparation for kale than most kale salads I've encountered, and it's full of satisfying salty-sweet-tangy flavors. I happily ate it over the course of 3 days, and I could probably eat it every day for several weeks before I got tired of it, especially if I rotated the curry powder I used for roasting the chickpeas.
The bad news -- There were two major problems with my attempt to make Bobby's chicken adobo with mustard-marinated kale salad (which was the original Idea Post vote winner):
1. the recipes for the kale and the caramelized onions were on one page, the recipe for the spicy chickpeas was on another in a totally different chapter, and the recipe for the chicken was in yet another chapter. That kind of organization drives me completely bonkers when I am trying to prep one part of a meal while cooking another part and roasting the third part.
2. the chicken adobo was not very good. Although Bobby doesn't specify the origin of his chicken adobo, this is not the most prevalent "adobo chicken" you're likely to be familiar with (which is a Filipino-style chicken adobo, defined by a vinegar, soy, garlic sauce). Instead, Bobby's chicken adobo is a Mexican-style adobo, replete with smokey chili flavors (theoretically) and lacking both vinegar and soy. Sadly, my adobo chicken breasts had no real flavor, the marinade was extremely gritty, and the cooking method didn't make any sense.
I guess this counts as a partial victory for Bobby Flay Fit, since I liked half the recipe? Make the salad, you'll be happy. Keep your eyes peeled for a chicken adobo post in the future...
Slightly adapted from: Bobby Flay Fit
Mustard-Marinated Kale Salad with Caramelized Onion and Spicy Chickpeas
Ingredients
Spiced Chickpeas (makes about 2 cups)
- 2 tablespoons canola or olive oil
- 2 (15.5-ounce) cans chickpeas drained, rinsed well. and drained well again on paper towels
- Kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon sweet curry powder taco seasoning, chile powder or 2 teaspoons each paprika plus 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon or lime zest optional
Caramelized Onion
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large sweet onion
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- Kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Kale Salad
- ½ teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- Kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 ounces curly kale
- 1 cup Spiced chickpeas
Instructions
Spiced chickpeas
- Preheat the oven to 400 F
- Heat the oil in a large, oven proof saucepan over high heat until it begins to shimmer. Add the chickpeas and stir in several pinches of salt, several grinds of fresh cracked pepper, and the curry powder. Ensure the chickpeas are evenly coated.
- Transfer the chickpeas to the oven and roast, stirring once or twice, until the chickpeas are lightly golden brown and crispy, about 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, stir in the grated citrus zest, then taste and add more salt, if desired.
Caramelize the onion:
- Meanwhile, halve the onion, removing the skin, then slice into thin crescents. In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat until it begins to shimmer. Add the onion, turn the heat down to medium-low, and cook until the onion turns a light golden brown, about 20-30 minutes. Add the vinegar and continue cooking until the onion is deep golden brown, another 10-20 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
Mustard-marinated salad:
- While the chickpeas and onion cook, prepare the kale.
- In a small pan over low heat, add the mustard seeds and cook, shaking the pan a few times, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Remove and let cool slightly.
- Wash, pat dry, then stem the kale, reserving the stems for another use. Roll up several leaves into a tight bundle, then finely slice the bundle horizontally to chiffonade the leaves into fine shreds or "rags".
- In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, Dijon mustard, plus several pinches salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Whisking with one hand, add the oil slowly, whisking to emulsify. Stir in the toasted mustard seeds. Add the kale and toss with tongs until completely dressed. Let sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes.
- Add the roasted chickpeas*, toss to combine, and serve immediately.
- If making ahead, keep the roasted chickpeas separate until ready to serve. The salad can be kept in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days with little ill effect.
