kale and chevre pesto.

After a few days of false springtime, we're back to woolly layers and high winds. So this evening, for a cozy dinner, I made this simple recipe that I noticed on 101 Cookbooks back in the fall. It couldn't be much easier; plus, it's a great basil-pesto alternative as well as a wonderful option for using kale. I made very few changes to the original here: adjusted the oil, added a little lemon zest, topped with pine nuts; I might also add a handful of pine nuts to the sauce before pureeing it next time, just for fun. Accompanied by a few slices of baguette and followed by a rich stout (excellent choice, J.), this kept the chill away.

[And, let's be honest, I was looking an excuse to break out my brand new pasta bowls! I just retired the plates I bought for my senior year dorm apartment and made the switch to all-white dinnerware. Glorious. These bowls are restaurant-sized - in other words, so huge that they fit in neither my cabinets nor my dishwasher. I love them.]


Kale and Chevre Pesto
from 101 Cookbooks

4 cloves of garlic, peeled and trimmed
2 large or 4 small shallots, peeled and trimmed
1 small bunch of kale (1/2 lb. or 8 oz.), stalks removed, washed well
1/4 c. olive oil (*the original calls for 1/3 c. - I liked a slightly thicker consistency)
1/3 c. (2 oz.) chevre
~2 tbsp. cooking water
lemon zest/juice
fresh thyme

1. Bring large pot of water to boil. Salt generously, then add garlic and shallots. Boil for 2-3 mins., then stir in kale and cook for another 10 secs. (Don't overcook!) Quickly fish the kale, garlic, and shallots out of the water and into food processor.

2. Puree the kale mixture and chevre, then with motor running, add oil and water (1 tbsp. at a time, to thin the sauce if necessary). Season with salt and pepper and the zest of 1/2 a lemon, if you wish. (I liked this for brightening the flavor. The original recommends a squeeze of lemon juice, which works too.)

3. Cook pasta according to instructions, then drain and toss with sauce. Add a few pinches of fresh thyme (about 4 stalks, stripped) and a sprinkling of pine nuts to serve.

Serves 4-6.