Kale and Roasted Broccoli Pesto

I somehow went nearly two months without writing down a recipe in my journal. I found this odd at first. I kept thinking surely I just skipped pages and I was missing something. It couldn’t really have been that long, could it? 

But after giving it some thought, I realized it actually makes perfect sense. Winter is my time for experimenting in the kitchen and spending cold days perfecting recipes. When spring comes, my cooking changes. I’m outside more and we, as a family, spend as much time as possible working on the garden, playing, and even reading outside. My time in the kitchen is quick. I plan ahead less and many of my meals are based on whatever is growing and ready to be picked in the garden or needs to be used in the fridge. My cooking is less about measuring and perfecting recipes and more about spontaneity. 

And so since my cooking has shifted, this blog will shift as well. As long as garden season lasts, I’m going to start sharing the meals I’m making from the things I’m picking from the garden or buying from the market. Many of these recipes, like the one I’m sharing today, are more non-recipe recipes and typically thrown together with two toddlers running around the kitchen. I’m not going to measure and neither should you. Other days I may share a link to a recipe that I loved or a cookbook that is giving me inspiration. 

Kale and Roasted Broccoli Pesto

It was a dark and stormy night…

Okay, afternoon actually, but it was about to storm and the boys and I were getting hangry and I didn’t know what I was going to cook. At times like this pasta is always the answer. And pesto is often the answer too, because I can get a lot of veggies in my toddlers that they otherwise may or may not eat (And boy did they eat this. They nearly inhaled it).

By definition, this pesto isn’t a true pesto. I honestly seldom make pesto as it was originally supposed to be made. I love a creative pesto featuring whatever I have on hand. Like in this case, we had broccoli and a spoonful of ricotta in the fridge that needed to be used and some gorgeous kale in the garden. It all came together to make a really delicious pesto-like sauce. 

I warn you that this was a one time, quick throw together recipe with no measurements (which is how I cook more often than not). I’m going to walk you through what I did, and I hope it inspires you to make a pesto-like sauce with your kale too. 

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Kale and Roasted Broccoli Pesto

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Today's adventure in gardening recipe uses kale from the garden, broccoli from the fridge that needed to be used and a random large heaping spoonful of ricotta. Adjust and make it your own with what you have.

Ingredients

• Small head of broccoli
• Olive oil
• 6 large kale leaves (stems removed)
• about 8 basil leaves
• 1 large garlic clove, sliced
• A large heaping spoonful of ricotta cheese (how's that for a proper measurement?)
• A few large pinches of pecorino or parmesan
• Lemon zest (about half a large lemon)
• Pinch of salt
• A few grinds of pepper
• 1 pound of pasta

Instructions

1

For the broccoli: Cut one small head of broccoli into bite size pieces. Drizzle it with olive oil and add salt and pepper. Roast until nicely charred, about 17 - 20 minutes at 425.

2

For the pesto: In a food processor, add the kale leaves (stems removed), basil, about a cup of the roasted broccoli (let cool slightly first), one large spoonful of ricotta cheese, the garlic, a few pinches of pecorino, lemon zest (about half a lemon) a pinch of salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Pulse until everything is broken down. You’ll need to stop and scrape down the sides once or twice. Add about a half a cup of pasta water and pulse again until everything is incorporated and pesto-like. Taste and add more salt or lemon zest as needed.

3

After you drain your pasta of choice, immediately add the pesto to the sauce and toss until well combined. You can add a little more pasta water if your sauce is too thick (I didn’t need to). Serve immediately with any extra roasted broccoli and as much pecorino as your heart desires (and if you, like me, have toddlers running around the kitchen, it may be a lot). Enjoy!