winter pesto — Fig and Olive

Instead of a classic pesto made from summer basil, substitute a few ingredients, namely baby kale, for its winter version. Toss roasted tomatoes, mozzarella, about 1/3 cup of the pesto, and a handful of toasted walnuts together. Finish the salad by seasoning with salt and pepper, then drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.

It's perfect for pasta, too.. A good rule of thumb is 1 cup of pesto to 1 pound of pasta.

**Angel Hair Pasta with Roasted Vegetables and Kale Pesto**

And add 8ounces of cream cheese and you have an easy cold or hot dip. I added some leftover shrimp to the one shown below.

kale pesto

makes about 1 cup

1/2 cup toasted walnuts
2 1/2 cups baby kale
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 medium lemon)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Pulse walnuts in a food processor until finely chopped. Add kale, salt, and garlic. Pulse until all ingredients are well combined.

Scrape down the sides of the processor and slowly add in the olive oil while the motor is running. Finally, add the Parmesan and pulse a few more times.