There's a few problems though: (1) Basil is grown here as a summertime annual, meaning your wintertime cravings rely on imported herbs that probably aren't going to be of the same quality as summer's abundance. (2) If you've tried to purchase pine nuts lately, you'll notice they've become quite a commodity-- I saw them being sold for over $20 per pound! Pine nuts, literally the seed that develops in a pine cone, take about 18 months to develop. In that timespan, a lot can go wrong. This past year, for instance, the warmer temperature patterns in Utah meant that their pine trees didn't get the consistent nourishment from the snowpack they need, so a lot of the seeds never fully developed.So what do you do when you can't make that classic pesto? Make it with kale and other nuts instead, of course! And you know what? It tastes amazing. Here's my favorite winter pesto recipe:
A Pesto for all Seasons (especially winter)
INGREDIENTS
Yields 1.5 - 2 cups.- 1 bunch green kale (lacinato/dino is best) stripped from stems
- 3/4 cup walnuts & almonds, or any other nuts you have on hand
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic, peeled and trimmed
- 1/2 lemon, for juice
- 1/2 cup shaved parmesan
- Salt and pepper to taste
PREPARATION
1 Place your nuts in the food processor, and chop them up a bit. They'll still remain pretty chunky and uneven, but that's okay. Add in the garlic, parmesan, and olive oil, then squeeze the juice from half a lemon in, too. Process this mixture for a few minutes, or until everything looks pretty evenly incorporated. Once it's at this stage, be sure to stop otherwise it will start getting overly thick.
2 Give your food processor a break while you prepare the greens. Be sure to wash them, and take out the tough stem in the center. You'll want to blanch them-- this can be done simply by bringing a pot of water to a boil, then dumping the kale in. Let them remain in the bath just long enough for the water to return to a boil (a few minutes), then quickly remove the greens to a colander and run under a cold-water shower.
3 Next, take the kale and squeeze the water out of it, handfuls at a time, and place the leaves in the food processor along with your nut and oil concoction. Process the greens in with everything until it has a uniform appearance! If you notice that some of the greens aren't being mixed in, take a spatula and shove them down towards where the blades are. This recipe makes relatively low-oil pesto, but you can feel free to add as much as you want for desired consistency.
