Lacinato Kale, Roasted Kuri Squash, Hazelnuts and Cilantro

David Kramer and Hayley Magnus’ Squash and Kale Salad

  • David Kramer and Hayley Magnus’ Squash and Kale Salad
    A selection of books at Family Bookstore
  • David Kramer and Hayley Magnus’ Squash and Kale Salad
  • David Kramer and Hayley Magnus’ Squash and Kale Salad
  • David Kramer and Hayley Magnus’ Squash and Kale Salad

NOTES

Kuri squash might be tough to find, but it’s a great one to try if it’s midwinter and you’ve had your fill of butternut squash. It is not as sweet as its brethren, so if you are playing it safe and subbing to the classic butternut here, cut the maple syrup down to 1 tablespoon (or even less). For a basic pickled red onion recipe, click here.

To make this vegan, sub more olive oil for the ghee and it will still be delicious.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Position a rack in the top third of the oven.

2. Cut the kuri squash in half, de-seed, and cut into ¾-inch slices.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the ghee, maple syrup, and lemon juice. Add the squash and toss to evenly coat. Season with salt and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes. Flip the squash slices and roast until soft and golden brown, about 15 minutes longer. Set aside.

4. Put the hazelnuts in a small ovenproof pan and drizzle with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil. Place in the oven on the lower rack. Toast until light brown and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Let cool and roughly chop.

5. While squash and nuts are in the oven, remove and discard the center ribs and stems from the kale. Tear the kale into bite-sized pieces and massage the leaves with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and the sherry vinegar.

6. Arrange a large handful of kale on each serving plate and top each with squash, hazelnuts, cilantro, a few slices of pickled onion and serve.

 

RECIPE

DIFFICULTY

EASY

  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
SERVES

4

  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
PREP TIME

45 MINS

Squash

  • 3 
    tbs 
    plus 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 
    tsp 
    ghee, melted
  • 2 
    tbs 
    maple syrup
  • 1 
    tbs 
    fresh lemon juice
  • 1 
     
    kuri squash

For The Salad

  • 1/2 
    cup 
    skinless hazelnuts
  • 2 
    bunches 
    lacinato kale
  • 1 
    tsp 
    kosher salt (plus more to taste)
  • 1 
    tbs 
    sherry vinegar
  • 1 
    tbs 
    pickled red onion
  • 1 
    tbs 
    cilantro leaves
  •  
     
    salt + pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Position a rack in the top third of the oven.

2. Cut the kuri squash in half, de-seed, and cut into ¾-inch slices.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the ghee, maple syrup, and lemon juice. Add the squash and toss to evenly coat. Season with salt and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes. Flip the squash slices and roast until soft and golden brown, about 15 minutes longer. Set aside.

4. Put the hazelnuts in a small ovenproof pan and drizzle with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil. Place in the oven on the lower rack. Toast until light brown and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Let cool and roughly chop.

5. While squash and nuts are in the oven, remove and discard the center ribs and stems from the kale. Tear the kale into bite-sized pieces and massage the leaves with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and the sherry vinegar.

6. Arrange a large handful of kale on each serving plate and top each with squash, hazelnuts, cilantro, a few slices of pickled onion and serve.

 

Actress and artist Hayley Magnus is my #1 favorite wingman, and not because I look so good standing next to her. She’s as funny as she is talented, and she spends her time wisely. When she isn’t going on auditions she is inhaling books, making wonky ceramics or teaching herself to paint. David Jacob Kramer, her significant other and the primary recipient of her daily salad-making practice, is the owner and founder of the best art book store in Los Angeles, Family Bookstore. He is also the Creative Director and my husband’s business partner in Imprint Projects.  These two lanky Australian Jews (their religion is worth mentioning, if not only to explode stereotype) set a shining example of how to negotiate their more commercial successes with their personal creative work, and eating lots of kale in the process.

David and Hayley In Their Own Words

Julia Sherman: Hayley, play a key character on an Australian TV show, The Wrong Girl. Can you tell me a little bit about the character you play?

Hayley Magnus: I play a girl named Simone — a straight taking, creative mess who loves to drink and make poor choices in men.

JS: As a visual  artist, I could always go to the studio and make my work, even if showing it and selling it was a struggle. Is it important to you that you balance your time between acting, an art form that requires an entire production to do, and other forms of art that you can do on your own?

HM: Acting is ephemeral — auditions last just minutes and it’s difficult to analyze your own performance objectively. However, when I paint or work with clay I end up with a physical product, tangible evidence that something good has happened. Similarly, when I read, I can quantify my progression at every turn of the page. I love to read, which is conveniently very good for my image.

JS: Well, then it’s a good thing your partner owns a bookstore! David, when did you start Family Books, and what is Family Books?

David Jacob Kramer: Family is a small bookstore specializing in artist’s books, zines, literature, and other assorted things. It’s a healthy outlet for a kind of unhealthy personal obsession, and fortunately, for a lot of artists and book-makers. I started it when I was 25 with some friends I went to high-school with. More people have joined us since, including your husband, Adam

JS: When did your love of books begin?

DJK: When I was a teenager I spent a lot of time in record stores and bookstores because they were one of the few places where a teenager was allowed to be. It was like a library, but better. You might discover a book or record that really blew your mind. I think we might be trying to recreate that sensation with Family. It’s a kind of pledge to our teenage selves, because that was the time that informed the kind of adults that we became.

JS: Why is it important that there still be brick and mortar bookstores?

DJK: I love bookstores. I think everyone does. The economics aren’t super easy, of course. But a bookstore is a place to hangout, it’s a cultural hub.

JS: I’m always interested in how people navigate the divide between their “professional” and their personal pursuits. Family Bookstore is, to some degree, supported by the you do as a Creative Director; it is even physically attached to your other office. Hayley, can you imagine “professionalizing” your visual art practice? Or would that ruin the fun of it? Is this divide something you sympathize with?

HM: I doubt my art practice will ever be more than great gifts for me to offer to friends who are obligated to pretend to enjoy them, unless I was offered money for them. I’ll do anything for money.

JS: [Laughs] Well that’s convenient! You have to do some crazy shit on-set. Is there actually anything glamorous about being an actress?

HM: It might ostensibly seem glamorous to have your hair and makeup done and your wardrobe meticulously curated. But what the audience can’t see, is that the costume designer has actually sewn you into that glamorous costume, and suggested you don’t consume liquids for the rest of the day. But I really do love the unglamorous parts. Recently I had to sit, fully clothed, in a public water fountain for a shoot, take after take. David suggested I should get testing for meningococcal disease.

JS: I think that’s sound advice! I know you love food, but do you love food as it exists in show biz? No matter how delicious, I would hate to eat on camera, especially if there was a spit bucket involved.

HM: Sometimes, if we there are multiple takes, a spit bucket is required. However, I often have to actually swallow the food on-camera. This week I ate 11 pieces of peanut butter on toast for a scene. The bread was fresh and hot so I didn’t mind, but it was a lot of toast.

JS: David, Hayley often makes salads for you to bring to work. We make fun of you sometimes because of it, but it’s actually very sweet. Is this an improvement from the way you ate before you two met?

DJK: That would be an understatement! Hayley’s salads are better than any salad I could buy. Beyond the quality of the food, takeout involves a lot of wasteful packaging. Hayley won’t use anything disposable, ever; If she finds a paper cup in my car I’m in trouble. She has never ever thrown out a jar. I think we have more recycled jars than books…

JS: Hayley, have you always enjoyed cooking? What role does food play in your life, and why do you love salad as much as I do?

HM: Cooking is alchemy! I am from a Jewish family where food is the Sun and we revolve around that alone. Salad is the underdog — it often conjures images of flaccid greens and pale tomatoes doused in bottled dressing unearthed from the depths of the fridge. But salad can be a warm bowl of roast vegetables with sheep’s feta and wilted kale,  or a mountain of fresh herbs with toasty almonds and orange segments. Contrary to the popular adage, you can make friends with salad. But you know that.

JS: David, do you ever get sick of people telling you how lucky you are to have Hayley as your partner?

DJK: No, not even when Hayley is the one telling me.