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Kale Pesto

August 11, 2018 by Carine Clary Leave a Comment

Kale PestoFinally! Lard lady posts an actual vegan recipe which is the above pictured Kale Pesto. And surprisingly it’s good. It all started a few years ago with my friend Tina (sister of Nike who was the originator of Takko Chicken), suggested that I try eating kale as it’s so healthy and all… So I tried it. Once. Ugh. Too much like the turnip greens, I was force-fed as a child.

The History

So I forgot about kale until I had a bite of someone’s kale spaghetti at a restaurant. Eureka! It was delicious, probably also because of all the basil, garlic, and parsley that was in it. However, it occurred to me later that the bitterness that I didn’t like when it was served alone made it the perfect foil for bland pasta. After all, I liked it when it was in my Garbure and that’s a dish where it plays a supporting role.

I also discovered in my odyssey through kale literature that the flavor of kale is greatly mellowed when, as they always put it, massaged. It had never occurred to me to massage vegetables but live and learn. And what better way to massage leaves than to stuff them into a food processor and pulse? Your answer – no better way. And it’s high in vitamin A and C.

The Prep

So the prep – in any order you like – is as follows. Rinse the kale and cut out the ribs, then chop and drop into the Cuisinart, then toss in the basil and parsley. For optimal smoothness you will need to mince the garlic before adding it to the mix, then the lemon juice. Add some of the olive oil and drizzle in the rest gradually through the feed tube until you reach your preferred consistency. It may be more or less than called for in the recipe. Always add the nuts last since if you don’t you’ll end up with nut butter and believe me, you don’t want that.

Garbure

Garbure

Garbure

Here it is all mixed up (like me sometimes). If you have any leftover or are making it ahead of time pour a little olive oil over the top to preserve the green freshness. And note the last time I made this I made way too much and the olive oil trick kept it fresh in the fridge for almost a week.

Kale PestoOh, and last but not least, check that note on the recipe. A spoonful of Boursin cheese stirred into the pasta while adding the pesto is a wonderful thing.

Kale Pesto
 
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Author: Carine Clary
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
  • 2 cups kale (stems removed)
  • 1 cup basil leaves & parsley
  • ⅓ cup olive oil (add gradually, you may need less)
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • ¼ cup nuts, chopped
  • Shredded cheese to taste for topping
Instructions
  1. Put all ingredients except nuts in a food processor or blender and process to your preference. Some people will like it chunkier, some smoother but not too smooth.
  2. Next add the nuts and pulse a few times until they are ground to the fineness you prefer.
  3. This can be used on any kind of pasta, topping for pizza, or topping for bruschetta.
Notes
Optional additions - cilantro and boursin cheese.

If you are making ahead of time, put in a glass jar and pour a little oil over it to cover before refrigerating.
3.4.3177

 

 

 

Filed Under: Entree, Italian, Pastas & Pasta Sauces, Vegetarian Tagged With: kale, kale basil pesto, kale pesto, vegan

Wacky Cake

December 30, 2015 by Carine Clary Leave a Comment

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAWacky Cake – it’s crazy good. And fast. And easy.

Are you culinarily challenged due to a complete lack of experience & skill in the kitchen? And are you expected at least occasionally to present a homemade offering at family gatherings? Does this frighten you? Well, fear not. This may be the one cake that you can make with no skills and few dishes. An easy little something to make for New Year’s.

The provenance of Wacky Cake is said to date to World War II when milk, butter, and eggs were rationed. This cake has none. What’s surprising is the richness and flavor it achieves without any of them. It can be mixed and served in the same pan and is good with a dusting of powdered sugar & a side of vanilla ice cream or a quick chocolate icing.

To get started you need an 8 X 8 pan. It can be metal or glass and it doesn’t even need to be greased. Mix the dry ingredients right in the pan or a bowl if you prefer. They may be whisked together or you can mix with your hands. I do it by hand to make sure that the chocolate powder is completely incorporated. Make a well in the center.

Next you mix all the wet ingredients together in a bowl and pour them into the middle of the flour. Gently whisk out the lumps and put in a preheated oven. Once it’s done serve it World War II style as you see in the picture below with an austere dusting of rationed sugar or you can whip up quick post war batch of icing.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThis icing is equally easy. You just melt the butter, chocolate and powdered sugar in a double boiler, let it cool to room temperature and then beat it until fluffy.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAIf you don’t have a double boiler fill a pan with about an inch of water then find another pan or pyrex bowl that fits over it. The steam from the boiling water underneath in bowl one will melt the ingredients in bowl two. Hence the name “double” boiler.

Once this is done, so are you. It’s all ready to enjoy as an after dinner desert or in front of the TV watching a rerun of ‘The Dirty Dozen.’

Wacky Cake
 
Print
Author: Carine Clary
Cuisine: Southern
Ingredients
  • Dry ingredients:
  • 1½ cups all purpose flour (or cake flour)
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup cocoa (Hershey's dark)
  • ¾ tsp. baking soda
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • Liquid ingredients:
  • 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 cup cold water
  • Optional Icing:
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1⅓ cup semi sweet chocolate chips
  • ¼ cup confectioners sugar
  • for mocha icing add 1 tsp. of instant coffee or espresso
Instructions
  1. For the cake:
  2. Preheat oven to 350.
  3. Mix dry ingredients together in a square 8 X 8" pan
  4. Mix liquid ingredients together in a bowl.
  5. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid.
  6. Whisk out the lumps & bake till a toothpick comes out clean, about 30 to 40 minutes.
  7. For the icing:
  8. Melt butter, chips & sugar in a double boiler.
  9. Let completely cool then beat until fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes.
3.4.3177

 

Filed Under: Cakes, Desserts, Revillon, Southern Tagged With: chocolate cake, no eggs, vegan

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About Me

Hello, I'm Carine Clary and I'm the FrangloSaxon.

And is that a word? In a word - Yes! It reflects my French connections in the south part of the state and the Anglo Saxon ones on the Arkansas state line. I grew up eating & loving all the foods of Louisiana and the idea is to collect lots of them right here on this website.

What you'll find here is food that reflects everybody's cooking. Creole we know. Cajun we know. But how about Croatian or Vietnamese....or Italian or German....or the underestimated plain Southern food they do so well in the upstate parishes?

They're all part of who we are so pull up your chair and join me for some good eats!

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