Fresh Kale Pesto

This week Fresh From Oregon… Kale!  Kale comes in many varieties and the best one to make this pesto is the green curly-leaved kale.  It only takes a few minutes to blanch the kale and create this creamy pesto to toss with pasta, brush on some toasted french bread or use as a great condiment for seafood and chicken.

Fresh Kale Pesto
1 big bunch of kale, rinsed, ribs removed and torn into small pieces
3/4 cup olive oil, less 2 tablespoons
2 tablespoons Spice Traders Mercantile Meyer lemon olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice, fresh
2 cloves garlic, rough chopped
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated or shaved
Salt and pepper to taste

Blanch the kale in boiling salted water for about 3 minutes and chill down in a cold water bath, drain and squeeze excess water. Place into small work bowl of food processor or Ninja food processor bowl and pulse to start breaking up the kale, add rough chopped garlic, process, add pine nuts, pulse several times. Slowly add the olive oil, Myers lemon olive oil and lemon juice, process until everything is broken down. It will never be real smooth. Finally add the cheese and pulse a few times. Season with salt and pepper. If serving with pasta grate a little extra cheese over and add extra virgin olive oil to the hot pasta, toss with pesto, serve with additional grated cheese.  To store, place in a glass jar or container and add about 1 tablespoon olive oil on top to keep pesto fresh.  The olive oil will create a small seal to keep pesto from getting dry.

Recipe adapted from ~ Food 52