I hadn’t tried black kale pesto yet! I finally made it and I must say we liked it a lot. I thought it would have a sharp, strong flavor, but it’s very delicate, and it’s a brilliant green—really nice to look at and good to eat.
Black kale (cavolo nero) is a typical autumn vegetable; its leaves are distinctive, curly, crunchy and dark green with bluish hints—so I didn’t expect the pesto to stay so light. It’s used a lot in Tuscany in soups, stews and in the famous ribollita. Now kale pesto is trendy, so why not try it?
If you’re looking for other types of sauces for your pasta, here are some autumn ideas you might like
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Cooking time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: for dressing 1 kg (2.2 lb) of pasta
- Cooking methods: Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients for the kale pesto
- 5 1/2 cups black kale (Lacinato kale) (weight of leaves after cleaning)
- 2/3 cup Parmigiano Reggiano PDO
- 1/3 cup peeled almonds
- 3 3/4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/3 tbsp water (cooking water from the kale)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch hot chili pepper
Tools
- 1 Food processor Bimby TM31 – TM5 – TM6
- 1 Pot
- 1 Colander
- 1 Blender
- 1 Knife
- 1 Cutting board
Preparation of the kale pesto
I used the Bimby to chop and blend, but a classic blender will work just fine as well.
First, wash the black kale leaves and pat them a little dry. Now take them one at a time and separate the leaf from the central stem (1). In the end you’ll get about 200 g of leaves (give or take). Put a pot of water on the heat and bring to a boil. When it boils, immerse the leaves (2) and blanch them for 5 minutes. Drain them (3) and cool them under cold water (4).
In a blender, or in the Bimby, put the almonds (5), the parmesan (6), the salt (7) and the chili (8).
Chop everything until you get the texture of grated parmesan (9). With the Bimby run at speed 10 for 10 seconds. Add the blanched leaves (10), the oil (11) and the cooking water (12).
Turn on the blender and blend until you obtain a creamy and homogeneous consistency (13). Transfer the black kale pesto into a container and store in the refrigerator, taking care to cover it with a thin layer of oil.
With the Bimby blend at speed 7 for 20 seconds
Notes
You can replace the almonds with the same quantity of walnuts or pine nuts
If you prefer a stronger flavor, you can add a crushed clove of garlic and use grated pecorino to replace part of the parmesan
Keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days in a closed container. The surface should always be covered with oil, otherwise it oxidizes and becomes dark.
It can also be frozen for six months.
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