Kale Pesto...just say yes!

I've heard of pesto for years, and I have been purchasing it for various dishes. However, I never ventured into making any until last year. I started out using fennel fronds, tried leek leaves (which have to be parboiled first) and finally made some with basil towards the end of last summer. This year, I decided to give kale a shot, and I can honestly say that pesto is my absolute favorite way of eating kale! OK, I also love it in soup, but in soup, the kale is the supporting actor, while in pesto it has the starring role!

Pesto is really easy to make. I start off by giving the kale a bath in a sink full of water with about 1/4 cup vinegar added. Since this isn't organic kale, I like to give it a quick veggie wash (but refuse to pay the price for commercial washes when vinegar works so well).

Let that soak about 15 minutes, then shake off the excess water and lay out on towels to dry.

In the meantime, toast the pine nuts in a small pan. If you don't want to use pine nuts - or if they are out of your grocery budget - you can use other nuts. I have used slivered almonds as well as a mixture of sunflower seeds and pepitas. Just be sure to toast them first.

When they are getting close to done, you need to watch closely. They can go from this to black very quickly, and I swear they wait for me to turn my back for just a moment and then burn when I'm not watching. When they are toasted, be sure to dump them into a bowl. I use a nice, cool glass bowl so they don't keep roasting (and possibly burning) in the hot pan.

 While the nuts are cooling, grate up some Parmesan cheese. Tear the kale into smaller pieces, and dump them into the bowl of the food processor. Add in the Parmesan, olive oil, lemon juice and salt - but hold off on the garlic!

Mix that together until it is nice and smooth. Now...about that garlic...

While some will argue the point, my dad told me that adding the garlic into the food processor can cause it to heat up and turn bitter. Well, I believe my dad, so I mash it by hand. Impressive mallet, huh?

Mash it really good!

To make sure I got it crushed really well, I decided to toss it into my mortar, add a little pesto, and mix it together.This was probably an extra step on my part, but it made for a cool picture, so there you go!

Next I put it all into a mixing bowl and slowly added some more olive oil, stirring well after each addition to make sure it was thoroughly incorporated. To be honest, I didn't measure. I just added and stirred until I liked the texture.

And here you go! Back in the mortar for the finishing picture. May seem a little deceptive, but at least I fessed up right away that I used a food processor to do the bulk of the work :)

Kale Pesto

1 bunch of kale - give or take (I used 200 g)
1/2 c pine nuts toasted
1/2 c Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 c extra virgin olive oil - plus a tablespoon or two, as needed
2 Tbl lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, well mashed
~1/4 tsp salt

Wash kale, and pat dry. Remove stems and tear into smaller pieces.

Toast the pine nuts in a skillet over medium heat. Once a golden brown, pour into a glass bowl to cool them down. While they are cooling, grate your cheese and mash your garlic.

Combine all ingredients except the garlic in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to get the mixing started, then blend until it is of a smooth consistency.

Scoop out into mixing bowl and slowly add in the reserved olive oil, stirring well. When the pesto stops absorbing the olive oil, it is done.

If you plan to store it for a while in the fridge, place it in a jar and cover with a layer of olive oil. It should keep for 3 weeks...and maybe even more!