Kale: Italy needs to know

     During my sophomore year of college, I lived next to an Asian super market and became the closest thing to vegan that I will ever be (except for that time senior year that I was actually just poor and vegan)...I digress. The market had wicked cheap tofu and all the fresh veg. There are two greens that I got twice a week that whole year: kale and bok choy. I still can't eat the latter. Kale, however, was up in my face all day, er'day. One relentless Brassica. I decided that the mature thing to do was just learn how to eat the green again instead of throwing someone's massaged kale salad out of my apartment window. An easy way to introduce a food back into your diet is by completely hiding it. I mean, that's what all the moms do now who cannot otherwise encourage their children to eat vegetables. Hint: You're not trying hard enough. In all seriousness, kale is an excellent vegetable to hide, in say, a pesto. You can use it as a filler if you're low on basil and the pesto will take on the benefit of added nutrition to boot. This pesto has our own kale, basil, and parsley. We're working on growing our own hazelnut tree, relax. 

Kale-Hazelnut Pesto 

      Start by lightly toasting the hazelnuts in a pan for about 5 minutes. Make sure to move them around so they don't burn. Meanwhile, add the kale, basil, and parsley into the blender. You don't have to chop the kale, but we did because our blender is pretty heinous. Next, mince the garlic and add to the blender along with the parmesan cheese. Again, grate the cheese first if your blender/food processor is not the best. Lastly, add the salt, pepper, and oil and blend until everything is smooth. Add the hazelnuts at this point, blend, and adjust the seasonings. We have been keeping ours in a jar in the fridge and eating it on everything. A bit of homemade pesto goes a long way, and is so much cheaper. 

I have yet to receive any postcards...I'll be waiting. 

Recipe

4 cups loosely packed kale

1 c loosely packed basil

1/2 c loosely packed parsley

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 oz parmesan cheese, grated

1/2 c hazelnuts, toasted and chopped

1 c extra virgin olive oil, additional may be needed

salt and pepper, to taste