Kale. Now what?

Kale is a wintry green that if full of possibilities. It is often put into smoothies, made into chips, eaten in a raw kale salad, sauteed, and the list goes on and on.

Orecchiette with navy beans and kale pesto

Blanched Russian kale made its way into a pesto with shallots and garlic fried in extra-virgin olive oil, lemon zest, and lemon juice. At first, the kale was still bright green, but as it began to turn into the pesto, it turned into a muddy, earthy color. It wasn't the most appealing nor the most offensive. The color honored the season. However, if I were to make kale pesto again, I would definitely try using a raw curly kale for that brilliant green. In the finished dish, the pasta was tossed with cooked white navy beans, raw cherry tomatoes, and kalamata olives. Chopped parsley and roasted kale chips were used to garnish.