Kale Salad

This salad, which Josh McFadden is widely known for, so much so that in his book, Six Seasons, he calls it The Salad That Started It All, is new to me.  I have never been all about the kale salad, but now I have some early kale, some more tender kale, and I thought it might be time, in the early days of summer, before I am overwhelmed with vegetables, to give this a try.  And boy am I glad I did.  So simple and yet delicious.  This will go in the regular rotation.

• 1 bunch kale, thick ribs cut out
• ½ garlic clove, finely chopped
• ¼ cup finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more to finish
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/8 teaspoon dried chile flakes
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ cup dried breadcrumbs

1. Stack several kale leaves on top of one another and roll them up into a tight cylinder. With a sharp knife, slice crosswise into very thin ribbons, about 1/₁₆ inch wide (this is called a chiffonade). Put the kale in a salad spinner, rinse in cool water and spin until completely dry. Pile the kale into a bowl.
2. Put the chopped garlic on a cutting board and mince it even more until you have a paste (you can sort of smash and scrape the garlic with the side of the knife as well). Transfer the garlic to a small bowl, add ¼ cup pecorino, a healthy glug of olive oil, the lemon juice, chile flakes, ¼ teaspoon salt and plenty of twists of black pepper; whisk to combine.
3. Pour the dressing over the kale and toss well to thoroughly combine (you can use your clean hands for this, to be efficient). Taste and adjust with more lemon, salt, chile flakes or black pepper. Let the salad sit for about 5 minutes so the kale softens slightly. Top with the breadcrumbs, shower with more cheese, and drizzle with more oil.