why not kale…pesto?

08 Saturday Jun 2013

Posted by home, garden, life in environment, farmer's market, healthy food, Home Depot, Lifestyle, quick meals, quick recipes, recipes, Stretch Gardening, sustainable lifestyle, Virginia

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Charlottesville City Market, chive flowers, easy recipes, farmer's market, fast food, food, Home Depot, kale, pesto, stretch gardening, vegetarian

Readers who follow my blog know I adore kale.

an earlier pasta dish with blanched kale and chive flowers. If you have gone Keto, substitute spiral veggies for pasta.

Truly, I eat kale every day—fall and winter—steamed for four minutes, drizzled with olive oil and often topped with two farm raised eggs, easy over. Adding variety to this super-food, I decided to make one of my favorite dishes—pesto.
Why not kale pesto?
Indeed, this dish will knock your socks off.

Diane’s Recipe for Fresh Kale Pesto

Find a large bunch of fresh curly kale, either from your garden or from a local farmer. Strip the leaves off the vein and tear leaves into pieces. Rinse kale, while bringing a pot of water to a boil. In a large bowl, add cold water and a few scoops of ice cubes. Set this bowl near the pot of boiling water. When water is boiling, add kale in batches and blanch for 30-45 seconds, or until kale is bright green. Using a spider, lift blanched kale out and plunge into the bowl of ice water. Repeat process until all kale is blanched and iced.

fresh from the local grower, Whisper Hill Farm ~ 9 stems

ice bath

blanching kale until bright green ~ 30 seconds

blanching kale until bright green ~ 30-45 seconds

ice kale to stop cooking

squeeze water out of kale using hands

almond and pecan stash ~ always store nuts either in the fridge or freezer

Squeeze iced kale with hands and place all kale into the bowl of a food processor. Add 1/4 C sliced almonds, 1/4 C pecans, 1 t. Himalayan salt, black pepper to taste, 1/2 C virgin olive oil, juice from a whole fresh lime (I use a citrus press), and pulse entire contents, scraping sides of bowl a few times during processing. Add additional olive oil until smooth consistency is achieved.

kale pesto fully processed

Meanwhile, boil your favorite pasta or spiral some zucchini, reusing the blanching water. In this instance I used a combination of organic Casarecce and linguine. When pasta is al dente, remove it from the water using the spider. DO NOT RINSE. SAVE hot pasta water.

al dente Casarecce and linguine

Mix pesto into pasta or veggie noodles, adding additional olive oil and a few tablespoons of pasta water to dish until desired consistency is reached. Add a large knob (20g) of room temperature sweet butter and gently toss adding freshly grated Parmesan just before serving.

cooked pasta, nob of butter, kale pesto, toss adding additional pasta water as needed

cooked pasta, knob of butter, kale pesto, toss adding additional pasta water and olive oil as needed.

I promise this recipe will make a believer out of you. A real tasty dish that will have your friends talking. Serve with your favorite beverage and sexy tomatoes if in season. Serves 6.

If you are processing a lot of kale from your gardens in spring, simply place pesto into 8 oz. containers and freeze. Omit the cheese until consuming.

completed dish doused with fresh parmesean

completed dish doused with fresh Parmesan

PS I adore pesto and make three signature pestos from home-grown herbs: French tarragon with pecans, chive artichoke with walnuts in the early spring, and classic basil with walnuts during the summer months. Those recipes may be found by typing “pesto” into the search bar on this blog.

This new kale pesto rounds out my repertoire and I hope you will enjoy them all. There is more to life than basil pesto!

Bon Appetit!

too tired for pasta

29 Tuesday May 2012

Posted by home, garden, life in edible flowers, garden, healthy food, Lifestyle, quick meals, quick recipes

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cannellini beans, chive flowers, deelish, food, grilled salmon, healthy food, quick recipes, steamer basket, vegetarian

Today I wanted a quick evening meal. Out in the garden, I cut spinach. From the fridge I pulled kale, and from the pantry a 15 OZ can of Cannellini beans.

I began by rinsing the kale and spinach. Into the steamer went the torn kale for three minutes. Then, on top of the kale, went the spinach for two.

Meanwhile drain the can of cannellini beans.

Next I removed the steamer basket from the pan and chopped the veggies coarsely.

In the same pan empty of water, I placed three tablespoons each of sweet butter and olive oil over medium heat to melt.

Then I plopped in the beans, chopped veggies, sea salt and heated them briefly.

Immediately placed in a small serving bowl, I added fresh chive flowers, sliced almonds, and a couple chunks of cherve. Deelish! Serves two.

(The butter makes a smooth creamy little sauce.)

I enjoyed this as a humble, healthy meal, yet it could make a handsome side for those who eat larger meals aside a slab of grilled salmon.

Bon Appetit!

eat your edible flowers!

07 Monday May 2012

Posted by home, garden, life in edible flowers, healthy food, Lifestyle, quick meals, quick recipes, sustainable lifestyle

≈ 9 Comments

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chive flowers, edible flowers, food, hot pasta, New York Minute, quick recipes, vegetarian

I just finished a simply delicious lunch—pasta with blanched kale and chive flowers.

Most folks forget to forage for delectables in their gardens during spring. Johnny Jump Ups, sage and chive flowers fill my garden now—each wonderful as a garnish for deserts, salads and entrees, providing any dish unique color, flavor and beauty. I pick them for market (and attempt to educate shoppers) and dine in luxury at home with these beautiful works of nature.

Read on and see two simple recipes I created in a New York Minute…and remember to glide your mouse over the images for further description.

Desire a quick meal in minutes? Here are two recipes…

Two Pastas with Blanched Kale and Chive Flowers

Cook your two favorite pastas according to directions. Three minutes before pastas are al dente, rinse and tear kale (organic please) and drop into boiling pasta water. Poke leaves down so all kale pieces blanch evenly. Drain this quickly in a strainer then return to pasta pot, leaving pasta wet. Sprinkle with olive oil and perhaps a generous dollop of sweet butter and sea salt. Plate hot pasta and top with chive flowers (to taste), gently pulled from the stem. Serve with a generous amount of grated cheese of your choice. EAT WHILE HOT!

I cook 1/4 box of each pasta in this recipe. Serves three or me three separate times!

Crispy Tortilla with Diced Egg and Chive Flowers

Heat a 10″ skillet over medium heat. Add 1 T. olive oil. Place in a tortilla and toast until golden/crispy then turn to toast other side. This only takes a minute, so watch the pan! Have two diced boiled eggs ready, tossed with mayo or olive oil and sea salt. Place crispy tortilla on a plate and top with egg mixture and add additional chive flowers. May be folded when consumed. Violas are a pretty addition too! Enjoy! Serves One.

See, I told you these were easy, yet how luxurious. Now if I could only find the patch of trees with the morels.

NOTE: Chive flowers store well in the refrigerator in a closed container. Violas are best picked just before consuming, rinsed gently.

Bon Appetite!