Swiss Chard Pesto

Recipe Photo: Swiss Chard Pesto
Author
Katie Kambridge
Source of Recipe
The Boston Globe - March 30, 2011, by Luke Pyenson
Serves/Makes/Yields
6
Recipe Description

I first had Swiss chard pesto two years ago while volunteering on an organic farm in Italy. It was a revelation. Pesto, usually made with basil, is also fantastic with any leafy greens — radish greens, turnip tops, kale. Swiss chard is the easiest to work with because of its enormous, easy-to-tear leaves. For vegans, omit the cheese in the pesto, as I do here. Then boil a pot of pasta and grate a good bit of Parmesan onto the servings for people who want it. Use fresh whole-wheat spaghetti or a dried shape with a little curve, such as fusilli. This amount of pesto is enough for just under 2 pounds of pasta.

 

Ingredients

1 large bunch Swiss chard, stemmed and torn into strips (enough to make 4 1/2 cups packed)

1 cup walnuts, chopped

2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

Squeeze of lemon juice

Salt and pepper, to taste

3/4 cup good olive oil

 

Preparation

1. In a food processor, pulse the Swiss chard a few times to break up the leaves.

2. Add the walnuts, garlic, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Work the mixture smooth.

3. With the motor running, add the remaining olive oil through the feed tube in a thin steady stream.

Luke Pyenson

 

Nutrition Information

 None Available.