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.
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.
Ann Mah says
What a fun idea! Does the raw kale add as strong a flavor as basil?
kristen says
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.
Ann Mah says
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!