I adore pesto, but I complain about the cost of pine nuts all the time. This one uses toasted walnuts and some lemon to kick the flavor up. No complaints here - I could eat it with a spoon. Adapted from a cooking class taken at Sur la Table.
Ingredients:
The Process:
In a food processor, pulse kale until pureed. Add garlic, walnuts, and basil; pulse until roughly chopped.
Add olive oil slowly and pulse to combine.
Move pesto to a large bowl. Stir in cheese, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Stir by hand to combine.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Pro Tips:
I am all about kitchen shortcuts, but you've gotta toast the nuts for this recipe. It really does enhance the flavor. I like to toast them a bag at a time and then freeze the toasted walnuts for use in this and other recipes. There are nut-toasting directions at Smitten Kitchen, here, which I use for guidance.
Did you know you can freeze pesto? You can! You can freeze it in an ice cube tray and then pop out a cube or two to mix into your pasta. Or you can freeze it in jars and take it down to have a week of wondrous pesto recipes. This was a game changer for me.
Look, I'm not an olive oil snob by any means, but if you're making pesto, using it for brushing a flatbread, or generally eating it pretty much as-is, it's worth getting a slightly better olive oil. We've settled on a good mid-grade olive oil for the homestead - good enough for pesto, but not so fancy that we feel guilty about using it to grease a pan.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup basil leaves
- 1 bunch kale, stems removed (about 3 cups)
- 1 garlic clove
- 2/3 cup toasted walnuts
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2/3 cup grated aged cheese (pecorino)
- 2 lemons, zested and juiced
- salt & pepper to taste
The Process:
In a food processor, pulse kale until pureed. Add garlic, walnuts, and basil; pulse until roughly chopped.
Add olive oil slowly and pulse to combine.
Move pesto to a large bowl. Stir in cheese, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Stir by hand to combine.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Pro Tips:
I am all about kitchen shortcuts, but you've gotta toast the nuts for this recipe. It really does enhance the flavor. I like to toast them a bag at a time and then freeze the toasted walnuts for use in this and other recipes. There are nut-toasting directions at Smitten Kitchen, here, which I use for guidance.
Did you know you can freeze pesto? You can! You can freeze it in an ice cube tray and then pop out a cube or two to mix into your pasta. Or you can freeze it in jars and take it down to have a week of wondrous pesto recipes. This was a game changer for me.
Look, I'm not an olive oil snob by any means, but if you're making pesto, using it for brushing a flatbread, or generally eating it pretty much as-is, it's worth getting a slightly better olive oil. We've settled on a good mid-grade olive oil for the homestead - good enough for pesto, but not so fancy that we feel guilty about using it to grease a pan.
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