Tasty Tuesday!

Kale Pesto

     This week I bring you Kale Pesto! I've been overrun by kale from my own garden and from the Towson University Urban Farm so I wanted to find a recipe that would allow me to use a large bunch of kale all at once. I found this week's recipe in the food column of the Towson University school newspaper, the Towerlight. The Towerlight's food columnist just happens to be a member of the urban farm as well! I hope I do her recipe justice.

     Kale is probably my favorite leafy green because it is so versatile and not to mention...cheap. I've spoken of the benefits and low cost of greens before (here) so I won't bore you with those details again. If you are looking for a cheap and healthy alternative to pasta sauce this recipe is for you. I have also used it as a spread on my morning bagel. I've taken my own liberties with this recipe by leaving out the feta cheese, to keep it vegan friendly, and by adding a handful of fresh basil from my herb garden. We both chose not to use the traditional pine nuts in the recipe. I don't know of any graduate student that can afford pine nuts anyway so why bother. You can read the original recipe here. Enjoy!

• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 4 small onions, peeled and chopped into quarters
• 1 small bunch of kale (about 1/2 pound), stalks removed, washed well
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• A handful of fresh basil leaves
• Salt and pepper

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add plenty of salt. Add the whole garlic cloves and onion. No need to chop them. This is all going into a food processor or blender.

2. Boil the onions and garlic for a few minutes stir in the kale and cook for another 10 seconds. Remove the kale, garlic, and onions from the water. 

3. Use a food processor or blender to puree the ingredients, along with the olive oil and basil. Work in small batches! If the mixture is too think add a teaspoon of water until you reach the desired consistency. Adjust the taste with salt and pepper if needed.

Chopping onions and garlic

A big pile of green kale trying to smother my Santoku knife.

Boil the ingredients but make sure not to cook them!

Take care of yourself and each other...