I made this because I also had spaghetti squash in my CSA box and I thought that a punchy kale pesto, using the seeds from the squash instead of nuts, would work well with the roasted squash. Turns out that neither L. and I are overly partial to spaghetti squash but both really liked this pesto. It would be fantastic on roasted sweet or regular potatoes, drizzled over pumpkin soup, stirred into cream cheese for a quick dip, or used as pesto usually is, mixed into pasta.
The miso is, I admit, an unusual touch but I wanted an extra bit of salty umami and reached for it in the fridge at the last minute. It added a depth of flavor with which I was very happy and took this pesto from good to moreish.
Made about a cup of pesto
2 cups curly kale, finely chopped
1/2 cup roasted squash seeds *
2 cloves roasted garlic
1/3 cup grated Parmesan (or vegetarian cheese for a vegetarian option)
1 Tbsp white miso
2 Tbsps olive oil
2 Tbsps boiling water
Juice from 1 lime
Blend all the ingredients together in a blender until they form a smooth paste.
Check for seasoning and serve with the vegetable or pasta of your choice.
* I roasted the squash seeds in the spaghetti squash, scooped them out when the squash was cooked, rinsed them in a colander until they were free from all the stringy bits of the squash, and then cooked them with some salt in a dry skillet, shaking them from time to time so they would not burn, for about 5 minutes until they were crisp.
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