Growing up, like many, I wasn’t big fan of leafy vegetables. I used to tell my mom that leafy vegetables are food for four-legged animals like cows, goats, etc. and clearly since I am not one of those four-legged animals, I shouldn’t have to eat them. She off course didn’t pay much attention and continued offering leafy greens. Though I’ve come a long way from the four-legged animal thought, I do not necessarily explore too much of leafy vegetables outside of what I grew up with. Kale is one of them I didn’t know about until I moved to USA.
I had tried Kale here and there but never cooked it at home. However, I keep hearing that Kale is “the new beef”, “the queen of greens” and “a nutritional powerhouse.” How it is low in calorie but high in fiber, iron, vitamin A, C, K, blah, blah, blah…. After hearing so much, I had to give it a try. Once, I brought it home, I didn’t know what to do with it, so I tried one of my mom’s tricks.
One of my mom’s trick to feed us vegetables was to mash it with herbs which we call bhorta(more on this later) in Bangladesh. I continue to follow that trail if I am not sure what to do with a vegetable. BUT wait, I have never heard of a bhorta made of leafy greens, bhortas are usually made of chunky vegetables and starch like pumpkin, green beans, eggplant, potato, etc. Now what?
Well, partially inspired by the same road, this Kale pesto is created in my humble kitchen and the whole family loves it. Though the traditional pesto consists of pine nuts, garlic, basil, olive oil and Parmesan cheese; modern pesto commonly contains sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red bell peppers, cashews, etc. Now, I have a pesto that has nutrient rich, antioxidant filled Kale. To add a little more spin to it, I went ahead and added toasted sesame, pistachio and cumin. Yumm!!
We’ve had it as a spread for bruschetta and with pasta off course and the pesto tasted great both ways. I have yet to try it on a soup or as a base for pizza, but I know those are also some great options to use this pesto. Can you tell my family loves Italian food?
I am submitting this pesto recipe to Junglefrog Cooking’s Photography Challenge #1 – 2013 hosted by Simone, to the “Flavors of Series 4 around Europe” by simply.food which is hosted by Divya of Divya’s Culinary Journey and to Hearth & Soul Hop at Savoring Today.
Recipe : Kale Pesto 
Ingredients:
1 bunch kale, steams removed
½ cup lemon juice
6-8 cloves garlic
½ cup pistachio
¼ cup sesame seeds
½ cup parmesan cheese
1 tea spoon cumin seeds
¾ cup olive oil
Pinch of paprika powder
Salt to taste
Steps:
- Roast garlic on stove top or oven.
- Toast sesame seeds, pistachio and cumin.
- Wash Kale and drain part of the water.
- On medium heat, wilt the kale for 5-6 minutes on stove.
- Place all ingredients in food processor.
- Make a smooth paste.
Notes :
- Serve with pita chips, pasta, or as spread for bruschetta. Good on sandwiches and makes great pizza sauce base.
- Stores in refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Can be kept in freezer for one month.
রেসিপি : কেল পেস্্টো
উপকরন :
১ গুচ্ছ কেল শাক, ভাপানো
১/২ কাপ লেবুর রস
৬-৮ রসুন কোয়া
১/২ কাপ পেস্তা, ভাজা
১/৪ কাপ তিল, ভাজা
১/২ কাপ পারমাযন চীজ
১ চা চামচ জিরা, ভাজা
১/২ কাপ জলপাই তেল
পাপরিকা পাউডার এক চিম্টি
লবণ, স্বাদ অনুসারে
প্রণালি :
- রসুন রোস্ট করুন।
- তিল, পেস্তা বাদাম এবং জিরা হালকা আঁচে ভেজে নিন।
- কেল শাক ধুয়ে পানি ঝড়িয়ে নিন।
- মাঝারি তােপ, কেল শাক ৫-৬ মিনিট ভাপিয়ে নিন।
- ব্লেন্ডারে সব উপকরণ দিয়ে পেস্ট করুন।
প্রয়োজনিও কিছু টিপস্ এর জনে্য দয়াকরে আটির্কেল অথবা ইংরেজি রেসিপির নোট সেকশন টা একটু দেখে নেবেন।
I haven’t incorporated kale into our diet, but your pesto sounds wonderful! What an excellent idea..and love the flavor palate you’ve developed here!!! YUM is right.
Sadly Kale is not available here. I keep reading great things about it but have yet to find it!
I think it is a great idea to use it in a pesto
Few readers from Bangladesh also asked me what Kale is because it’s not available everywhere there as well.
Does the kale make the pesto taste vastly different from basil pesto?
The ingredients I used are different than a traditional pesto. I used pistachio instead of pine nuts and added sesame, cumin, paprika which gives a it a different flavor than the original version.
Sounds delicious, I will definitely be trying this plenty of kale around these parts
Thanks Emily. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Kale sounds great in a pesto!
Thanks, Kiran.
this is such a delicious sounding recipe. i have been enjoying kale a lot- will try it soon
Sounds great. Let me know how you like the pesto.
kale pesto sounds awesome, have to try it
What a wonderful and unique pesto recipe featuring kale. I love this leafy green and I think I’m one of the weird kids (or as you said, a 4 legged animal, LOL) who love vegetables since I was young.
I love all kinds of pesto, can’t wait to try your recipe.
What a brilliant idea to make pesto with kale! Being Dutch kale is a vegetable used in abundance here but mostly in a mashed with potato form, which I hated growing up ( but love now) but I never really do anything else with kale, so this is a fabulous idea! Thanks so much for joining in the homemade challenge this month!