Ingredients:
1 very large bunch of kale – wash, de-stem, tear into large pieces.
1/4 cup of nuts (try almonds, cashews, pine nuts, or a mix)
1 or 2 cloves of garlic – rough chop
1/2 cup packed parsley
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/8 cup Lemon juice – more to taste
1/4 cup olive oil – more to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste
Package of pasta (your choice)
Directions:
1) Prepare to blanch the kale. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, and prepare a large bowl of ice water. Boil the kale for about 2 minutes – and lift it out of the water with tongs, immediately placing it in the ice water. Save the hot water to cook the pasta. Drain off the ice water and kale in a colander, and squeeze out all the water.
2) In a food processor pulse the Kale, Nuts, Garlic, Parsley. Lemon Juice and Parmesan. Add the Olive Oil slowly until roughly mixed. Season with salt and pepper to taste, adding more olive oil or lemon juice as preferred. Continue to pulse until desired texture is achieved.
3) You can package up the pesto to use later (or freeze), or use the kale water to boil the pasta of your choice following the instructions on the package. Reserving 1 cup of water, drain the pasta and mix in a generous amount of pesto. Use the reserved water if the mixture seems dry.
This dish works well grilled chicken or fish, serve with a few lemon wedges.
Recipes from the Black Dirt 