Purple kale pesto
Purple vegetables are magical! Make them into a sauce!
While I’m always a fan of shortcuts and dirtying the fewest dishes, for this recipe, blanching the kale is a must. I’m not sure if the purple variety is tougher than it’s green cousins, but skipping the blanching results in sort of a chunky final product that isn’t very appetizing. But you can skip the ice bath that stops the cooking process when you blanch other veggies. Plop that quickly boiled kale right into the food processor and carry on making your sauce.
Purple kale pesto
Time: 10 minutes
Yield: about 3 cups
6 oz purple kale, stalks removed (1 large bunch)
1/2 cup basil, packed
1/3 cup tomato paste
2 large cloves garlic
½ cup roasted, unsalted cashews or other nuts/nut replacement
1/3 cup grated parmesan or other nutty, dry cheese
½ cup olive oil
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
Pepper to taste
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Rinse the kale and rip the leaves from the stalks. Put the leaves in the boiling water and leave for 1 minute. Give it a few stirs to ensure that all of the kale is submerged. Add directly to the blender or food processor.
Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until you've reached your desired consistency. If too thick, add more water or oil by the tsp to thin out.
