Ricette di Spannocchia

Spannocchia Food

FEATURED WINTER RECIPE: Pesto di Cavolo Nero | Tuscan Kale Pesto

We all love bright basil pesto when it's the season, but in these colder months—when we can't snip fresh herbs from our garden—we look to hardier greens for our pesto fix. Cavolo Nero has been part of Tuscan cuisine for centuries, and it's now fairly common at grocery stores and farmer's markets in the US; you may know it as Lacinato or dinosaur kale. This traditional variety and walnuts replace basil and pine nuts to create a satisfying, winter-friendly pasta sauce. Of course, you can use it in so many other dishes too. (On crostini or in a sandwich! Dolloped into scrambled eggs! As a dip! You can't go wrong...)

Ingredients:

3 cups Cavolo Nero (Tuscan/Lacinato/Dinosaur Kale)

½ cup Walnuts

1 clove Garlic

¼ cup Parmigiano Cheese

¾ cup Olive Oil

Zest from 1 Lemon

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Instructions:

Wash the cavolo nero under cold water. Separate the leaves from the stem.

Bring water to a boil in a pot big enough to fit all the kale. Add an abundant amount of salt and blanch the cavolo nero leaves for 5 minutes. Drain the greens and put them in a bowl with cold water to halt the cooking process. Once cold, drain the water and squeeze the leaves out well.

Using a food processor, blend the blanched kale with the rest of the ingredients until it reaches a smooth texture, adding more olive oil as needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cook your favorite type of pasta (to a perfect al dente, of course!) and toss it in a bowl with the pesto and a little bit of the pasta water, mix well, and enjoy!

A white ceramic serving bowl filled with farro, chopped tomatoes, basil, and green olives. Garnished with fresh basil and set on a woven placemat and wood table. "Farro Salad with Basil Pesto" is written at the bottom.
Three lightly breaded and baked vibrant zucchini flowers on a rustic gray ceramic plate, on a light green and lavender checked tablecloth. "Stuffed Squash Blossoms" is written at the bottom.
A white ceramic plate on wooden table surface, layered with wedges of potatoes, pickled red onions, capers, dollops of mayonnaise, and fresh fennel fronds. "Potato Salad with Capers" is written at the bottom.
A white platter on a natural colored linen tablecloth, with seven thin slices of baked zucchini covered in breadcrumbs, garnished with parsley. With a folk lying across the zucchini. "Zucchini Parmesan" is written at the bottom.

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A white ceramic serving bowl filled with farro, chopped tomatoes, basil, and green olives. Garnished with fresh basil and set on a woven placemat and wood table. "Farro Salad with Basil Pesto" is written at the bottom.
Three lightly breaded and baked vibrant zucchini flowers on a rustic gray ceramic plate, on a light green and lavender checked tablecloth. "Stuffed Squash Blossoms" is written at the bottom.
A white platter on a natural colored linen tablecloth, with seven thin slices of baked zucchini covered in breadcrumbs, garnished with parsley. With a folk lying across the zucchini. "Zucchini Parmesan" is written at the bottom.
A white ceramic plate on wooden table surface, layer with wedges of potatoes, pickled red onions, capers, dollops of mayonnaise, and fresh fennel fronds. "Potato Salad with Capers" is written at the bottom.
Topping thick slices of toasted bread with cooked kale.
Close up of kale and pancetta topped on toast.
Table set with two glasses of white wine and a platter of cavolo nero crostone.
A metal bowl of deep green chunky pesto with a big orange spoon, on a marble tabletop.
Chiocciole (snail) shaped pasta in a big pot, coated in bright green pesto, with a big metal serving spoon.
A tableful of plates, each with one square of "dolce di riso." In the foreground is a close up piece of the cake, with a gently browned top, grains of rice and speckled with raisins.

Photo credit: Vaneshia Reed

RECIPE BOOK: Archived recipes

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