Rachael Ray: Rachael's Daytime Talkshow

Caesar-Style Kale Pesto Pasta

Aired on: August 23, 2012, April 4, 2012

Ingredients

1 whole head of garlic
1/4 cup EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus additional for drizzling
Salt and pepper
1 pound spaghetti
1 bunch kale, thick stems removed and discarded, leaves shredded
1/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese (a generous handful), plus more for serving
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

Yields: 4

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400ºF degrees.

Cut end off garlic bulb, exposing the tops of the cloves. Place on a piece of foil, drizzle with EVOO, salt and pepper. Wrap garlic up in the foil and roast 45-50 minutes. Let cool then squish out the garlic cloves from the skins into a food processor.

While the garlic is roasting, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt it, add the spaghetti and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.

Bring another large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and add kale cook for about a minute, drain and squeeze dry.

Add the kale, cheese, lemon juice, mustard, anchovy paste and Worcestershire sauce into a food processor with the garlic cloves and purée. Season with pepper. Add the pine nuts and about 1/4 cup EVOO. Process, streaming in additional EVOO to form a thick pesto; season with salt.

In a pasta bowl, combine the pasta, pesto and reserved pasta cooking water; toss to combine. Serve with more cheese at the table.