Collard Greens Pesto Recipes

COLLARD GREENS PESTO

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to boil to blanch the collard greens (don't forget to add salt to the water).. Also prep a large bowl of cold water with ice cubes to shock the greens once removed from the boiling water.
• After the water has come to a boil, add the greens and boil for 2 minutes then immediately transfer them from the hot water to the ice bath (I use tongs).
• Once the greens are completely cooled strain them and set aside.
• Use a for processor to combine the cashews, basil, garlic and 1/4 cup of the olive oil, pulse a few times to get things broken up.
• Add in the collard greens and the rest of the olive oil.
• Season with salt and pepper and add in the parmesan, blend to incorporate.

GRILLED VEGETABLES WITH COLLARD GREEN PESTO

Steps:

• For the collard green pesto: Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the collard greens and cook until the collards are bright green and tender, about 2 minutes. Drain the collards and plunge in an ice water bath to stop cooking. Drain.
• With the motor running, drop the garlic through the chute of a food processor and process until minced. Remove the lid and add the collards, cheese, basil, pecans, lemon zest, crushed red pepper and salt. Pulse until finely chopped. Pour the oil through the chute and process until the desired consistency is reached. Add the lemon juice. Add 2 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to thin the pesto if necessary.
• For the vegetables: Toss the asparagus, pepper, squash and zucchini with half of the pesto. Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Grill the vegetables until browned and tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and drizzle with the remaining pesto. Garnish with the lemon zest, if desired.

COLLARD GREENS AND KALE PESTO

Steps:

• Cook collard greens and kale in a large pot of boiling salted water until bright green and tender, about 45 seconds. Transfer to a bowl of ice water (this will stop the cooking and help lock in the color). Drain; squeeze out as much liquid as possible (to avoid a watery sauce).
• Coarsely chop greens and place in a food processor. Add garlic, Parmesan, oil, peanuts, lemon zest, and lemon juice; process on low speed until a coarse but well-blended mixture forms (a little texture is part of the selling point). Season with salt and plenty of pepper.
• Do Ahead
• Pesto can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing directly against surface, and chill.

COLLARD GREEN PESTO LINGUINE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium heat. Blanch collards until bright green, about 1 minute. Transfer immediately to an ice bath to shock, saving the boiling water for cooking the pasta. Remove the collards from the ice water and pat dry with paper towels before transferring them to a food processor.
• Add the linguine to the pot of salted boiling water and cook according to package instructions.
• Meanwhile, in a dry skillet, over low heat, toast the pecans until fragrant. Transfer to the food processor with Parmesan, olives and garlic. With food processor running, slowly drizzle in olive oil until pesto comes together. Taste for seasoning, and add salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.
• To serve, put enough pesto to coat the pasta into a large serving bowl. Drain the pasta and quickly add it to the bowl. The water still clinging to the pasta will loosen up the pesto. Toss to coat. Add more pesto, if needed. Transfer the pasta to a serving bowl and garnish with Parmesan sprinkled over the top.

COLLARD GREENS PESTO

Steps:

• Remove leaves from stems. Clean and slice the greens into thin strips.
• Bring a pot of water to a boil. Create an ice bath by placing ice cubes in a large bowl and filling with water.
• Blanch the greens by adding them to the boiling water for 1-2 minutes then remove and place in the ice bath to cool and stop the cooking.
• Add the lemon juice, oil, garlic, cashews, herbs, and blanched greens to a food processor or blender. Puree to desired consistency. Add more oil if you need to thin the pesto out.

COLLARD GREEN OLIVE PESTO

Steps:

• Bring a 6- to 8-quart pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, cut stems and center ribs from collard greens and discard. Stir collards into water in batches, then simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer collards with tongs to a colander to drain, gently pressing on greens to extract excess water. (If making pasta, reserve water in pot for cooking pasta.) Coarsely chop collards.
• Blend olives and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. Add collards, water, vinegar, salt, cayenne, and pepper and pulse until finely chopped. With motor running, add oil in a slow stream. Turn off motor, then add cheese and pulse to combine.