Squash Tartlets With Kale Pesto Food

SPAGHETTI SQUASH WITH KALE PESTO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Halve and seed the spaghetti squash; roast, then scrape into strands (see Cook's Note).
• Meanwhile, toast the hazelnuts in a dry skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool.
• Pulse the kale, parsley, garlic, raisins and 2 tablespoons of the toasted nuts in a blender or food processor until combined. Add 1/4 cup olive oil; blend until smooth. Add 1/3 cup water, the parmesan, Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Pulse until the pesto comes together, adding up to 3 more tablespoons water to loosen, if necessary; season with more salt and pepper.
• Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the spaghetti squash and cook, stirring, until coated. Add 3/4 cup of the kale pesto. Stir to coat, adding up to 1/2 cup water to loosen; season with salt and pepper. Top the squash with the remaining toasted nuts and more parmesan.

BAKED TORTELLINI WITH KALE PESTO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the tortellini and cook as the label directs. Reserve ¼ cup cooking water, then drain. Reserve the pot.
• Meanwhile, puree 4 cups kale, the olive oil and garlic in a blender or food processor until almost smooth. Add ¼ cup parmesan and season with salt and pepper. Pulse until smooth, adding up to 1/4 cup tap water if needed.
• Transfer the pesto to the reserved pot along with the heavy cream; stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to medium low; stir in the tortellini, sun-dried tomatoes and the remaining 3 cups kale, adding the reserved cooking water as needed to loosen. Transfer to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and sprinkle with the mozzarella.
• Combine the panko, pine nuts, parsley and the remaining 2 tablespoons parmesan in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle over the tortellini and bake until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

PASTA WITH KALE PESTO AND ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Use a vegetable peeler to peel squash, then halve it lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Dice squash flesh into 1-inch pieces, place on a baking sheet, and toss with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Spread pieces into an even layer, making sure there is space between them. Roast, stirring squash pieces once or twice, until golden brown and tender, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; have ready a bowl of ice water. Drop kale into boiling water and cook for 45 seconds. Use tongs or slotted spoon to transfer kale to ice water. Bring water in pot back to a boil, adding more if necessary so there is enough to cook pasta.
• Drain kale well, then wrap tightly in a dry kitchen towel and squeeze thoroughly to remove any excess moisture. Roughly chop leaves. When water in pot comes back to a boil, cook pasta according to package directions.
• In a food processor, pulse together kale, nuts, garlic, salt and lemon zest until mixture is smooth and salt has dissolved. With motor running, slowly drizzle in the oil until fully incorporated. Taste and add more salt dissolved in a little lemon juice, if necessary.
• Drain pasta, reserving a little cooking water. Toss pasta with kale pesto and some pasta cooking water if necessary to help it coat pasta. Add cheese, lemon juice and salt to taste. Serve topped with squash and more cheese.

SUPER KALE PESTO

Steps:

• Make the pesto: In a food processor, add the peeled garlic cloves and process until the garlic is minced. Add the kale, hemp seeds, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Turn on the food processor and drizzle in the oil. Process until the pesto reaches your desired consistency, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary. Taste and add more lemon, salt or pepper if necessary. (You can thin out the pesto with more oil, but if you're serving with pasta, keep in mind that you can also thin it out with reserved pasta cooking water.)
• Cook the pasta (optional): Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, according to package directions. Reserve one cup cooking liquid before draining the pasta. Let the pasta and pasta water cool for a minute to make sure the high heat doesn't damage the flax oil pesto.
• If you intend to have leftovers, transfer the amount of pasta you think you'll be eating immediately to a serving bowl and mix in pesto with splashes of cooking water. Otherwise, you can mix the pasta and pesto together in your cooking pot, adding splashes of cooking water as necessary. Keep in mind that you have diluted the flavor a bit with the cooking water, so taste and add more lemon, salt or a drizzle of olive oil as necessary.

BEETROOT & SQUASH WELLINGTONS WITH KALE PESTO

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/ gas 5. Toss the onion, beetroot, squash and garlic in a roasting tin with 2 tbsp olive oil, the thyme leaves, sumac and some seasoning. Roast for 45 mins until the vegetables are tender but still retain their shape, then stir in the lentils and half the chestnuts. Squeeze the garlic cloves from their skins, reserve half and squash the other two into the lentil mixture. Leave to cool completely.
• Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, tip in the kale, cook for 1 min until wilted, then drain and run under cold water until cool. Squeeze all the water from the kale, then put it in the small bowl of a food processor along with the reserved garlic cloves, chestnuts, the lemon juice, olive oil and some seasoning. Blitz to a thick pesto, and season to taste.
• On a lightly floured surface, unravel the sheets of puff pastry. Cut each sheet into three widthways so that you have six strips in total then divide the kale pesto between these, followed by the roasted veg and lentils, heaping the mixture on top of the pesto and leaving one side free of filling so that it is easier to roll. Brush all the borders with half the milk, fold over the ends, then carefully roll the pastry lengthways to completely encase the filling into a roll. Place your six individual Wellingtons on a baking tray lined with baking parchment and chill for at least 1 hr, or cover with cling film and leave overnight. If freezing, cover and freeze on a lined baking tray for up to 3 months.
• To bake from chilled, heat oven to 190 C/170 C fan/gas 3 and line a baking tray with parchment.
• Brush the top of each Wellington with the remaining milk and sprinkle with a little sumac, then bake for 30 mins from chilled or 45 mins from frozen until crisp and golden. Scatter over extra thyme and some flaky sea salt and serve.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH TARTLETS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425°F. Place butternut squash in ungreased 17x12-inch half-sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil; toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with pepper and salt. Roast 30 to 40 minutes or until browned and tender, stirring after 20 minutes. Cool in pan on cooling rack, about 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 400°F.
• In food processor, place garlic. Cover; process, with on-and-off pulses, until chopped. Add butternut squash, whipping cream and chopped sage. Cover; process 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth, scraping bowl occasionally.
• Line cookie sheet or half-sheet pan with foil. Spoon about 1 rounded teaspoonful butternut squash mixture into each filo shell. Place on cookie sheet. Sprinkle with cheese.
• Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Immediately remove to cooling rack. Garnish with sage leaves and pepper. Serve warm.