Thanks to A Beautiful Plate for the original inspiration for this recipe. I (as usual!) have simplified the recipe (skipping the fried sage leaves), doubled the greens, use kale instead of parsley in the pesto and added the mushrooms.
Ok, I am one of those people that has a hard time calling anything pesto if it’s not made with basil. My efforts to eat more in tune with our local seasons means that basil isn’t abundant enough in my yard now to make batch after batch of pesto. So…I’m giving this sage-and-kale pesto a try. The walnuts are good for my brain, I hear. And I can see the sage growing in my backyard. The kale is abundant, now, too! My hope is that it will be distinct enough to not rival the ‘real’ pesto. It will be in a category of its own. And sage and delicata squash are delicious together. I know this from my favorite biscuit recipe. Maybe, it will be my new go-to winter pesto to help me get through the cold months and into spring! Let me know what you think.
INGREDIENTS
For Roasting the Squash and Mushrooms—
1 or 2 delicata (winter) squash
1 or 2 portabello mushrooms OR lots of cremini or white button mushrooms—Did you know these three are the same variety of mushroom, just at different stages? Check it out.
extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
For the Pesto—
2 packed cups kale leaves, finely chopped
1 cup toasted walnut halves or pieces (Here’s two ways to toast walnuts)
3 to 4 garlic cloves
8 to 10 large fresh sage leaves
1/2 cup (or more) extra virgin olive oil or roasted walnut oil
3/4 to 1 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
For the Pasta—
Your pasta of choice cooked according to the instructions on the package. Try a fusilli, farfalle, or pappardelle I think those shapes hold more pesto for maximum flavor in each bite.
INSTRUCTIONS
For Roasting the Squash and Mushrooms—
In a large pot, start the water for cooking the pasta.
Preheat oven to 425.
1. Slice the delicata, in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds. Then slice up each half into thin (about 1/2 inch) half-moon slices. No need to peel the squash at all! The skin is edible and it’s good fiber for your digestive system.
2. Lay out the slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
3. Leave your mushrooms whole and arrange them sparsely around the delicata slices. Drizzle with olive oil. Optional— Sprinkle with salt and pepper (go light or skip this step altogether, as the pesto will also be salty!).
4. Place in oven and roast for 20 to 30 minutes, until squash is soft and a bit caramelized.
For the Pesto—
There are a few ways to do this.
Method 1: To destress (if you’re not in a hurry!) get your molcajete out (your mortar and pestle for those of you not familiar with the Spanish term with Nahuatl roots) and put your strength into grinding. I recommend you do the garlic first, then the walnuts, and add the fresh leaves last, a little bit at a time. Your setting yourself up for frustration if you pile fresh leaves in—it’s just a lot harder to grind so many layers of leaves at a time. For me, it’s unsatisfying! But if you add two or three leaves at a time, you can really take pleasure in the meditative transformation of the beautiful leaves into a bright paste. As you need more room to grind, scrape out the ground paste into a dish. Finally, add the salt, pepper and olive oil. This is where you decide how thick to make your pesto. If you don’t want it so think, add more oil.
Method 2: Put all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Or, put it in a slightly oversized dish (like a 2-cup pyrex container, for example) and use an immersion blender directly in the dish. This is not the fastest, but by far, the easiest clean up if you can manage to keep the immersion blender immersed below the level of olive oil so that it doesn’t spray everywhere when you start to blend.
Final Pesto-Making Tip: It took me a long time to assimilate our italian roommate’s discovery that the way to mess up pesto is by adding too much garlic. I love garlic so that was hard to hear. I think he’s right though because the power of raw garlic can easily overwhelm. (This from a person who’s mouth waters at the thought of taking a bite of the fresh whole garlic clove!) So, the tip is—When in doubt, add less garlic.
Your pasta water should be at a rolling boil by now! Cook up the pasta, strain, and toss with the pesto sauce, roasted delicata squash and mushrooms.
This is a glass-of-wine-worthy dinner. Or sparkling water, at least! What I’m saying is, this is no common pasta dish. It’s fancy! You should dress up or something, before you sit down to eat. (C:)