Jared’s Kale + Beet Greens Pesto
We are luck enough to be able to enjoy the beautiful, nutrient dense, seasonal produce Jared provides for our community! We decided to take it one step further, and create a “no-waste” pesto using kale and the greens from beets! Did you know that the greens / tops of some of your favorite items like beets, carrots, broccoli and radish are packed with amazing health benefits? And if cooked right, they’e delicious too!
We hope you enjoy exploring this recipe in your kitchen!
Ingredients / Equipment:
2 stalks of kale
3 stalks of beet greens
3 gloves garlic
1/4 cup of pine nuts
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
3/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
1 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
1/2 cup pecorino-romano (optional)
Food processor or blender
Instructions:
Boil a sizable pot of water on the stove. Once the water hits a rolling boil, throw in the kale and beet greens and let sit for 60 seconds. Strain the greens out and immediately put them in an ice bath to blanch them. Boiling then blanching the greens helps them to maintain their vibrant color. Let the greens cool in the water, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Once the greens are cool, pull them out of the water and squeeze out any excess liquid.
Put all of the greens in a food processor with garlic, pine nuts, lemon juice and salt & pepper. Most pesto's traditionally call for some cheese, but we decided to leave it out this time. If you want to add cheese, we recommend 1/2 cup of a pecorino-romano blend, freshly grated. Once all ingredients are in the food processor, blend until smooth.
Bring the blend level down a few notches and slowly drizzle in the olive oil until thoroughly mixed.
Toss with fresh pasta, top pecorino-romano cheese, some lemon zest and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and you're good to go!
Buon appetito!
PS- Have fun experimenting with whatever greens are in season. You can use carrot tops, arugula if you want something a little spicy, and of course, classic basil!
