A spicy, seasonal twist on traditional basil pesto, this is great as a garnish for creamed corn, a spread for cornbread or a day-after-the-holiday turkey sandwich, or a dressing for roasted cabbage and apple cole slaw or a simple salad of mixed greens. Make one batch of pesto and use it to create the two dishes Fall Roots with Mustard Greens and Turnip Dip and Spaghetti Squash with Mustard Greens Pesto and Beets Roasted with Fennel (see separate recipes).
By , & | September 01, 2013

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch mustard greens
  • 1 cup pumpkin seeds
  • 1 1/3 to 1 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt, or as needed
  • Black pepper, freshly ground, as needed

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Place the peeled garlic cloves in a small oven-proof ramekin and cover completely with olive oil. Place in the oven and bake until soft and slightly caramelized. Use the olive oil in the pesto for a stronger presence of garlic or save it for another dish.

2. Spread the pumpkin seeds on a baking sheet and place in the oven until they begin to brown and smell toasted.

3. Blanch and shock the mustard greens to retain the vibrant green of their chlorophyll. If the leaves are small and tender, leave the leaf stems on. If the leaves are larger, remove most of the leaf stems as they are fibrous and can create a strange texture in the finished dish. Bring two quarts of water to a boil. Prepare an ice bath by placing 4 cups of ice in a bowl with 4 cups of cold water. Stir the mustard greens into the boiling water and let cook for 1 minute. Remove the leaves and immerse in the ice bath. When the leaves are completely cold, remove them from the ice bath and squeeze them to remove excess water.

4. Place the toasted pumpkin seeds and the blanched and shocked mustard greens into the bowl of a food processor. Add 1 teaspoon sea salt and 3-4 grindings of black pepper. Turn the processor on and slowly add extra-virgin olive oil until the ingredients are moving freely within the bowl. Continue to process until the mixture is creamy. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper as needed.

*Make a big batch of garlic confit by roasting the peeled cloves of two or three heads of garlic. Use
3 cloves for this recipe, and store the extra cloves that are immersed in the olive oil in a sealed glass container in the refrigerator. They will hold up for a couple of weeks or for a couple of months if frozen.
    
*Use the greens from the bunch of radishes in Oat Groat Salad with Roasted Greens, Butternut Squash, and Toasted Pecans. Or use the greens from the turnips in combination or substitution of the mustard greens in Mustard Greens Pesto.

 

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch mustard greens
  • 1 cup pumpkin seeds
  • 1 1/3 to 1 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt, or as needed
  • Black pepper, freshly ground, as needed