Never Fear, Kale Pesto is here!

What to do with kale?  What to do with kale?  What to do with even more kale?  This is always the question when a fresh, beautiful bunch of kale arrives in our Full Circle Farms box.  We've tried making kale chips, which tasted like ash (literally, ash...no pun intended here.  OK, maybe a little pun).  We made a leek and kale quiche of sorts that was absolutely delicious, but certainly not within the parameters of healthiness.  We've tried a few other things with unremarkable success.  More often than not, the kale sits in the fridge waiting for us to do something with it for so long that it eventually turns an unappetizing yellow and invariably (and regrettably) ends up in the trash.  Sad.

We found that solution to our kale woes though!  It comes in the form of pesto.  Let's be serious--pesto is one of the greatest foods ever created.  Sure enough, kale pesto is delicious!  And versatile!  We used it to marinate and sauce some fresh sockeye salmon, but I am sure it would be delicious on pasta, as a pizza sauce, on other varieties of fish or chicken, or even just on toasted bread.  So good.

Dreading kale?  Not anymore!  Never fear, kale pesto is here!!

Kale Pesto:

• 1 bunch kale, rinsed, dried, and roughly chopped
• 1/3ish cup of pine nuts, lightly toasted
• 1/4ish cup (maybe more) of extra virgin olive oil
• zest of one lemon
• juice from that lemon
• 3 or 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1ish tablespoons of crushed red pepper flakes
• a dash of salt
• a sprinkle of sugar (to cut a little of the bitterness of the kale and the lemon) 

1. Toast the pine nuts in a 350 degree oven until you can just start to smell them and they start to turn a light, golden brown.
2. Blanch the kale in a large pot of boiling water.  Immediately transfer the kale to a colander and run under ice cold water.  (If your water doesn't get cold enough, immerse in a bowl of ice water.)
3. Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse 8-10 times.  If needed, add a bit more olive oil.  
4. Pulse again and check consistency and taste.  
5. Make adjustments with olive oil and/or more spices.
6. Use on fish, chicken, pasta, bread, pizza, or with crackers.  So good!