Kale Pesto

Ingredients:

• 1 LB fresh lacinato kale, trimmed
• 1/2 Cup (2oz) grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
• 1/3 Cup toasted walnuts
• 1 Tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
• 1 1/2 Teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/4 Teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 Small garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 1 1/4 Cups extra-virgin olive oil

Method:

1. Blanch kale in 6 quarts boiling salted water for 5 minutes; drain well. Place blanched kale in a blender. Add cheese and next 5 ingredients to blender. Cover and process on medium speed, drizzling oil slowly into blender through pour spout. Scrape sides of blender as needed. Once oil is added, process on high for 30 seconds or until mixture is smooth. Place pesto in a storage container; cover and chill.

Lacinato kale works best for this recipe because it's easy to work with and isn't normally as dirty or gritty as curly varieties of kale.