Kale Pesto

Each summer I make and freeze tons of pesto out of basil and this lasts me until late winter.  Frozen in ice cube trays and later vacuum-sealed it winters well. While it is always sad to use up the last frozen cube, it as the days are beginning to get longer and the land shows signs of rebirth and renewal so I can be pacified  by knowing I can soon appreciate fresh basil leaves directly off of the plant.

It is during this time that I decided to make pesto with Kale--a nutritionally rich and often overlooked winter green that's affordable and widely available.

Kale pesto doesn't oxidize or turn green as quickly as the basil variety so it's bright and pretty and is a welcome as a cool weather topping to a soup, as a sandwich spread, stirred into pasta and more!  Plus, how often do you hear people say their kids willingly eat kale?  If they like pesto, they will eat this kale! 

INGREDIENTS:

8 cups of kale leaves, washed, torn and separated from thick stems
3-4 cloves of garlic, peeled
2/3 cup raw walnuts
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt


1 - In bowl of a food processor add garlic, pulse 4-5 times and add walnuts; pulse 4-5 more times.

2 - Add kale and with lid open for adding ingredients, turn food processor on.

3 - Allow kale to break up into small pieces and, while still running, slowly allow olive oil to drizzle into the food processor.

4 - Add salt.  Place in jars, pushing out all air pockets.  Top with additional olive oil and keep in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. 

Use in recipes to add flavor or as a sandwich spread, pizza topping and more.  Is great on shimp and chicken. 


Recipe makes 24, 1 tablespoon servings. Per serving:

Hubby spread this onto ciabatta bread before adding leftover pork loin. 

Pan seared shrimp coated in kale pesto make a nice addition to Sunchokes Saltados.