The Kale Project

Kale Pesto

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I never enjoyed eating pesto as a kid but as I grew up, the perfect blend of basil, nuts and parmesan cheese tempted me. Every summer, I would buy big bunches of basil at the Union Square Green Market and make my own pesto in the smallest Cuisine Art known to mankind. I even tried to keep a basil plant alive on my Hell’s Kitchen, 48th street facing windowsill. While it received enough sun, I don’t think I lived up to my end of the bargain and it did not last long.

Of course all good things must come to an end and as November is moving quickly by us, the basil is slowly disappearing from the markets. While you can find the herb in the larger grocery stores, I prefer to live by the rule of thumb that if I can’t buy it from a local producer, then there is no reason to be making basil pesto into the colder months.
There is a lot you can add pesto to and my favorite way is with whole-wheat penne pasta and sun-dried tomatoes (or fresh cherry tomatoes if it’s summer), which is exactly what my husband will be eating tonight!

TKP_Kale Pesto

Kale Pesto
1 large bunch kale (any variety will do); de-stemmed
Juice from 1 lemon*
2 tsp salt*
2 cloves garlic, peeled, cut in halves*
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (you can use nutritional yeast if you choose to leave out the dairy)
1 cup nuts (pine nuts, almonds or walnuts all work); you can toast in a skillet beforehand if you want
3/4 cup olive oil (depending on your preferred thickness, you may want to use more oil)

1. Thoroughly wash and de-stem the kale. Combine the kale, nuts, lemon juice, salt and cheese into a food processer (I used a small mixer that came with my immersion blender set).
2. Begin to blend and after the kale has been chopped and slightly blended, begin to the add the oil, a bit at a time and continue blending.
3. Add the rest of the oil and continue blending until there is a consistent texture. Have a small taste and from there decide if the pesto needs more of any of the other ingredients.

There is a lot you can add pesto to and my favorite way is with whole-wheat penne pasta and sun-dried tomatoes (or fresh cherry tomatoes if it’s summer), which is exactly what my husband will be eating tonight!

Comments

    • Hi Ann! Your book arrived yesterday! As for the pesto, the kale did add a stronger flavor which is why I added the parsley. It took out a bit of the raw bite. You know how pesto is though… so much of how people make it is subjective. If you try anything else, please let me know.

      • Oh, thank you so much for reading my book — I feel honored!

        Your suggestion of adding cilantro to the pesto reminded me of an Indian sauce (chutney) I love made of fresh cilantro, mint, chili and lemon juice, pureed like pesto. I wonder how that would be with the addition of kale? If I try it, I’ll report back!