The Gleaner Cookbook: Wake up your tastebuds with this zesty salad dressing!

Stay-at-home advisories. Mandatory face coverings. Physical distancing...or is it social distancing? Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday...or is it Blur-sday? One day lumbers into the next and the collective mood is grim at best. This is our current reality, which we willingly adopt for the good of our communities.

In the midst of everything, if you're anything like us at Boston Area Gleaners, you could use a new, zesty, flavorful salad in your life. There's nothing like citrus, vinegar, mustard, and (gasp) anchovies to wake up your sleepy, stressed, and perhaps overly-sugared taste buds.

This recipe comes from Vinaigrette, a favorite restaurant in sunny Santa Fe. Hopefully it will bring some refreshing desert energy into your kitchen. Use it to make a kale Caesar salad or to dress up and tenderize any other sturdy leafy greens currently in your fridge. And in the spirit of the times, feel free to make substitutions as needed: use apple cider vinegar instead of Champagne, onions instead of shallots, and whatever mustard and hard cheese you have around.

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ZINGY LEMON ANCHOVY VINAIGRETTE

Dresses six to eight salads of kale or other cruciferous greens
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Juice of 2 1/2 lemons
12 anchovy fillets packed in oil, reserve some oil
2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
1 tablespoon creamy Dijon mustard 
1 tablespoon water
1 heaping tablespoon shallots, finely diced
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, or more if needed
Freshly grated Parmesan, to taste

Preparation: 
Place all ingredients except the shallots in a blender; blend until you have a creamy but still liquid emulsification.
Add shallots and pulse briefly, just to incorporate.
Toss vinaigrette with shredded kale.
Grate Parmesan over the salad.