Charred butternut squash and a lemon garlic vinaigrette remind us of how good a kale salad can be.

High on the list was the salad, unpretentious on arrival – a giant bunch of shredded, dark, shiny greens in a shallow bowl – but transcendent from the first bite. The kale was sliced ​​so thin the pile was wonderfully chewy, melted by the crunch of the breadcrumbs, and the lemony and spicy chili vinaigrette pierced the slight bitterness of the greens. I couldn’t eat it fast enough.

Ten years later, we’ve had so many kale salads that some eaters mourned my uncle. Kale’s ubiquity didn’t always seem so well-deserved, it’s true, and we should have left room for plenty of other greens a long time ago. But I resist most attempts to undo kale, because it’s not the poor vegetable’s fault that it’s the main ingredient in too many poorly prepared salads.

Jake Cohen writes about a kale salad epiphany similar to mine in his new book, “Jew-ish.” Hers was made by Chicago chef Zach Engel, and after trying it, “I was rocked,” Cohen writes. “I thought I knew about kale salad, but like most things, I didn’t know anything. … It was balanced, delicate and filling and I think about it often… more often than anyone should think of salad.

Cohen’s streamlined version maintains the appeal: besides kale, it features lightly charred butternut squash, apple chunks, bulgur, parsley, and pumpkin seeds, all topped with a lemony lemon dressing. ‘garlic. The bulgur and parsley reminds it of the classic Lebanese tabbouleh salad, but it departs so far from the traditional that any resemblance is weak. And this is perfectly normal, because it has enough outstanding qualities without needing the reference.

Mostly, it’s the kind of kale salad that, if you thought we should all forget about kale salads, might make you reconsider.

To note: This recipe prepares the fastest if you soak the bulgur wheat before starting any other prep work. To make a meal, serve with bread and / or a protein of your choice.

Get Ahead: Bulgur can be soaked and butternut squash roasted up to 5 days in advance. Mix with the remaining ingredients just before eating.

Storage room: The salad can be refrigerated for up to 5 days, although the pumpkin seeds and apples lose some crunch. Freezing is not recommended.

• 3/4 cup (about 4 ounces / 120 grams) cracked bulgur
• 1 1/2 cup hot water
• 1 1/4 pounds of butternut squash (1 medium), peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, divided, plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided, and more to taste
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)
• 2 garlic cloves, finely grated or squeezed
• 1 pound Tuscan kale, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh parsley leaves and tender stems, chopped
• 1/2 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
• 1 Honeycrisp apple, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces

Place a rack in the middle of the oven and a rack closest to the grill and preheat to 450 degrees.

In a bowl, combine the bulgur and water. Let stand, 35 to 40 minutes, until tender but slightly chewy, then drain off any excess water.

While the bulgur is soaking, on a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the squash with 1 tbsp oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Roast, stirring once halfway through cooking, 16 to 18 minutes, until tender. Broil the oven, transfer the baking sheet to the upper rack and broil until the squash is lightly charred, 3 to 4 minutes. Watch it carefully to make sure it does not burn.

In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining quarter cup of olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and remaining quarter teaspoon pepper. Add the kale and parsley and toss with the dressing, gently massaging the greens with your hands for a minute or two until the cabbage softens slightly.

Add the drained bulgur, roasted squash, pumpkin seeds and apple to the bowl with the greens and toss to combine. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed, and serve.

Calories: 499; Total fat: 26 g; Saturated fat: 4 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 419 mg; Carbohydrates: 60 g; Dietary fiber: 15 g; Sugar: 11 g; Proteins: 14 g.

Adapted from “Jewish” by Jake Cohen (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2021).