Pomegranate molasses makes a sweet-tart contribution to this salad of cooked, not raw, kale. (Call me crazy, but I never fell for the raw kale craze.) I like to boil the greens just a bit to soften the leaves, which yields a much more pleasant result. Then simply drain, blot and dress.

The tangy vinaigrette is a mixture of the pomegranate molasses, which is more tart than sweet, lemon juice and zest, good olive oil and a dab of Dijon mustard for sharpness. Dress the kale, which should be seasoned with salt and pepper, then adorn the salad with chopped toasted walnuts and pomegranate seeds.

While I treat it as a vegetable side dish, it could very well be a salad course on its own under other circumstances.

There’s a morsel of warm kale, walnut and pomegranate in every bite, but, truth be told, it is just as tasty served at room temperature.

Warm Kale Salad With Walnuts and Pomegranate

Ingredients:

• Salt and pepper

• 2 pounds kale, stems removed

• 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses

• 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar, white-wine vinegar or sherry vinegar

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 cup toasted walnuts

• 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds, or more to taste

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat.

Wash kale in a deep basin of cold tap water. Cut or tear into 1-inch ribbons. Add kale to the boiling water and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes. Drain, cool and blot dry.

Make dressing: Combine pomegranate molasses, vinegar, lemon juice and mustard; stir to dissolve. Whisk in olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

To serve, place kale in an ovenproof serving dish. (A 9-by-13-inch pan, large cast-iron or small Dutch oven would all work.) Add dressing and mix to coat. Transfer dish to oven and cook until kale is heated through, about 5 minutes. Top with walnuts and shower with pomegranate seeds.

Total time: 30 minutes, serves 6-8.

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