Winter Greens Gremolata and Pesto
Phyllis Grant
- Serves
- 2 cups Winter Greens Gremolata (half of which you can extend into Winter Greens Pesto)
In this recipe, I play with Classic Gremolata by adding dinosaur kale, arugula, capers, and lots of anchovies. With a few simple additions, I extend half of the Winter Greens Gremolata into Winter Greens Pesto. The uses for both Gremolata (on cabbage salad, with roasted vegetables, as a topping for fish) and Pesto (on pasta, in potato pancakes, on sandwiches, in omelets, as a topping for lamb chops) are endless. And both freeze beautifully! Feel free to use any kind of winter greens here (just stick with the green ones because purple pesto isn't very appetizing).
Ingredients
Winter Greens Gremolata
- 1 bunch arugula
- 1 bunch Italian parsley
- 1 bunch dinosaur kale
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt, for the blanching water
- 6 anchovy fillets
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoon capers (drained of brine)
- 2 teaspoon white wine or champagne vinegar
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt, to taste
Winter Greens Pesto
- 1 cup Winter Greens Gremolata
- 1/2 cup blanched almonds, lightly toasted
- 1/2 cup goat cheese (fresh, not aged)
- 1/2 cup parmesan, finely grated
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Lemon juice. to taste
- White wine vinegar, to taste
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Directions
Winter Greens Gremolata
- Step 1
Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Wash arugula, parsley, and kale (no need to dry them). Trim off any large stems. Add salt to water and turn down to a simmer. Toss in the kale. Blanch for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove kale with tongs and place in a colander over a large bowl. Using the same water, blanch parsley and arugula for only one minute. With tongs, remove second batch of greens and add to draining kale. Allow all greens to cool for a few minutes. Form greens into a ball and squeeze out most of the liquid. Place in food processor.
- Step 2
With a mortar and pestle, bash anchovy and garlic to a paste. Into the food processor, add anchovy/garlic paste, lemon juice/zest, capers, vinegar, and olive oil. Pulverize the heck out of it for 30 seconds. Taste for balance and texture. Add salt, more lemon juice, or vinegar as needed. Pulverize more if texture is too coarse.
- Step 3
You can keep it in a jar in the fridge with a thin layer of olive oil on top (just know that it won't be vibrant green by the next day). Or you can freeze it in a jar or in an ice cube tray. It stays green and beautiful when you freeze it. Thaw for an hour or so at room temperature before using.
Winter Greens Pesto
- Step 1
If you're extending some of the Gremolata into pesto, leave 1 cup of Gremolata in the food processor. Add warm nuts, goat cheese, parmesan, and olive oil. Taste. It will probably need more salt. Maybe a bit more acid like lemon or vinegar.
- Step 2
Keeps for a few days in the fridge in a jar with a thin layer of olive oil on top of the pesto. Alternatively, you can freeze it in a jar or in an ice cube tray for easy access. Thaw by leaving it out room at temperature for an hour or so.