I've mentioned a few times, round these parts, that my best friend's husband owns a food truck. Mei Mei Street Kitchen is, of course, my favorite roving eatery in Boston these days. After a bang up first year and tons of press coming their way; Andy, Mei and Irene have decided to move on to bigger, brick and mortar things. Their first restaurant is in the works as I type, and I couldn't be happier.

In the meantime, I get my Mei Mei fix once a week when their truck is at Dewey Square. One of their biggest sellers, the "magical kale salad" is my absolute favorite thing. They combine local kale and sea salt feta with crunchy panko breadcrumbs, then toss a poached-then-fried egg on top. It's glorious, and the most satisfying lunch ever.

Desperate to duplicate the magic, and armed with farmer's market smoked salmon from a local dude, I put my own spin on this hearty salad. This was delectable. The trick is quality fish, super-fresh greens, and a perfectly poached egg. The only real work is cooking the egg, making this a perfect weeknight meal or quick lunch.






Smoked Salmon and Kale Salad
Serves 2

What it's Made of:

• 1 fresh, cold egg
• 1 bunch lacinato/Tuscan/dinosaur kale, removed from stems, torn into 2" or so pieces, and massaged
• 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs (I use Aleia's Gluten Free usually. They're perfect.)
• 6 oz smoked salmon, flaked
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese, optional

For dressing:

• 2 T EVOO
• 1 T fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tsp anchovy paste
• 1/2 small shallot, minced

How it's Made:

• Poach your egg according to sir Alton
• In the meantime, massage the kale, flake apart the salmon, and layer in a bowl with panko and feta
• In a food processor, combine EVOO, lemon juice, anchovy paste and shallot, along with a hefty palmful of salt and pepper, and pulse
• Drizzle dressing over kale, top with poached egg 
• Break that yolk and enjoy!