By Chloe started first grade. My daughter — the baby born to a twenty-year-old Waffle House waitress who had no plan and no money and no idea what she was doing — walked into first grade with a butterfly backpack and fifty-three books of summer reading and a vocabulary bigger than most adults and she did not look back. She looked forward. That's what Mitchell women do. We look forward.
Her teacher is Mr. Torres. A MALE teacher. Chloe has never had a male teacher and she was initially suspicious. She came home the first day and said, "Mr. Torres is nice. But he doesn't have Mrs. Kim's stickers." Stickers are currency in the first-grade economy, and Mr. Torres has been judged by the sticker standard and found wanting. He'll recover. Everyone recovers from Chloe's initial assessments. She's tough but fair, like a restaurant critic who rates the food honestly but always comes back.
Jayden is back at Mama's full-time now that day camp ended. He misses Oliver terribly. He asked Mama every morning for a week, "Oliver come today?" No, baby. Oliver has his own house and his own mama. But we'll see him at church on Sunday. The concept of scheduled socialization is new to Jayden, who believes that friends should be available at all times, like goldfish crackers. He'll learn. We all learn that people have their own lives. It's one of the harder lessons.
The community outreach event is next week. I've been rehearsing — not the dental part, the people part. How to talk to parents who are embarrassed they can't afford a dentist. How to screen a child gently so they're not afraid. How to give information without condescension, education without judgment. I learned this from Gloria, who taught me that showing up is brave. I learned this from Mrs. Henderson, who said "wonderful." I learned this from every patient who sat in my chair and trusted a stranger. Now I take that trust to a community center in East Nashville and I try to earn it from people who have every reason not to trust a dental hygienist in a white coat.
I made a chicken Caesar salad for dinner this week — grilled chicken, romaine, parmesan, croutons, homemade Caesar dressing (anchovy paste, garlic, lemon, egg yolk, olive oil, Dijon). The dressing was the hard part. Anchovy paste is $4 a tube and it smells like a dock and it tastes like the best salad dressing you've ever had. Chloe helped me whisk. She said, "This smells like the ocean, Mama." It does, baby. The best things often smell different than you expect. That's true of anchovy paste. That's true of everything.
That Caesar dressing Chloe and I whisked together — the one that smelled like a dock and tasted like the best thing I’d ever made — is the reason this Kale Caesar Salad has become our go-to. Kale holds up to the dressing in a way romaine almost can’t, and when you massage those leaves and let the anchovy paste do its work, you get something that’s sturdy and bold and a little surprising, just like the week we had. If you’ve been hesitant about anchovy paste, let Chloe’s reaction convince you: the best things often smell different than you expect.
Kale Caesar Salad
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 0 min | Total Time: 15 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 large bunch curly or lacinato kale, stems removed, leaves torn into bite-sized pieces
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- 1 cup croutons (store-bought or homemade)
- 1 teaspoon anchovy paste
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 egg yolk (or 1 tablespoon mayonnaise for a no-raw-egg version)
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Make the dressing. In a medium bowl, whisk together the anchovy paste, minced garlic, lemon juice, egg yolk, and Dijon mustard until smooth and well combined.
- Emulsify. While whisking constantly, drizzle in the olive oil in a slow, steady stream until the dressing is thick and emulsified. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, then season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Massage the kale. Place the torn kale leaves in a large bowl. Drizzle about half the dressing over the kale and use clean hands to massage the leaves for 1–2 minutes, until they soften slightly and turn a deeper green.
- Dress and toss. Add the remaining dressing to taste and toss well to coat every leaf. Add the grated Parmesan and croutons and toss once more.
- Serve. Divide into bowls or onto a platter. Top with extra Parmesan shavings and a few grinds of black pepper. Serve immediately.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 280 | Protein: 8g | Fat: 22g | Carbs: 14g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 390mg