This super food is super tasty when treated as a pesto. Once again, another great use of the kale from my CSA at Sport Hill Farm. I am sure it freezes well but it never lasts long enough at our house to warrant leftovers. We fold it into scrambled eggs, slather on toasted bread with fresh mozzarella and tomatoes and sometimes eat it by the spoonful. It’s also delicious mixed into pasta with fresh cherry or grape tomatoes. It’s my second favorite way to eat kale, the first being kale pesto salad. And as with the salad, the measurements are a bit loose. It’s all to taste.
Kale Pesto
- One big bunch of kale, washed and spun dry
- 1 Tbsp. salt
- 2 small cloves or 1 large clove garlic, peeled and halved
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts (pignoli) – you can also use toasted walnuts and toasted pecans work, if that’s all you have on hand
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Set a large pot of water on the stove to boil. In the meantime, trim the kale by removing the stem from the leaves (here’s a quick video on how to trim kale). Stack the the long leaves and cut into 1″ wide pieces. If I am feeling really lazy, I just tear them into the 1″ wide pieces. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Once the water is boiling, add salt to it and then add the kale leaves. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until the leaves are bright green. Using tongs or a spider (my preferred method of extraction here), immediately place the leaves in the ice water bath. After 30 seconds, remove to a colander and wring dry, removing all the water from the kale. A handy way to do this is by placing the wet kale in a clean, dry dishtowel and wring dry over the sink.
Add kale to the food processor. Add garlic, pine nuts and Parmesan and process to a paste. With the motor running, add the olive oil to desired consistency. Add pepper to taste.
[...] a deconstructed pesto, this easy salad comes together in minutes and is my favorite way to prepare – and eat [...]