Tuscan Kale Pistachio Pesto

This Tuscan kale pistachio pesto is rich, nutty and fresh. It goes exceedingly well with my rich and creamy leek and lobster mushroom risotto. (Recipe coming tomorrow!) Or use it as you would any pesto, stirred through pasta or as a spread or dip for flatbread. 

I originally made this pesto to go with the above referenced risotto, both adapted from recipes I found in delicious magazine’s March 2022 issue, but I have since made it more than once because we loved it so much. 

The pistachios are a tasty, nutty green change from traditional beige pine nuts and who doesn’t feel virtuous eating kale? 

Tuscan Kale Pistachio Pesto

You could use curly kale for this recipe but I love the color and flavor of its dark leafed brother, Tuscan kale or cavolo nero. In my local grocery store, I only find it in the organic section so occasionally I splurge and buy some. 

Ingredients

Large bunch curly kale or cavolo nero (Mine weighed 186g or 6 1/2 ozs)

1 3/4 oz or 50g shelled pistachios 

1 3/4 oz or 50g Parmesan, finely grated

Finely grated zest and juice 1 lemon

2/3 cup or 100ml good quality olive oil

Fine sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Method

Remove and discard the woody center ribs and stems of the kale. Chop the leaves roughly. 

Put the kale in a small food processor with half the oil and process until the kale is finely chopped. 

Add in the pistachios and process again. 

Finally, add in the Parmesan, lemon juice, lemon zest and process again, adding a little more oil, if necessary. 

Stir in the remaining olive oil, then season with salt and pepper as needed.

Enjoy as a topping for your favorite risotto or pasta. 

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Raspberry Cream Cheese Muffins #MuffinMonday

Raspberry Cream Cheese Muffins celebrate the best of fresh raspberry season with a wonderfully subtle tang, perfect for brunch, breakfast or snack.

Welcome to the last Muffin Monday of summer! In the blink of an eye, it will be September then on to Autumn fruit and vegetables so I thought I’d use fresh raspberries this month as a sort of a last hurrah. 

More reasonably priced cherries, peaches, nectarines, raspberries and strawberries are the best part of summer. If I can get fresh figs, I am over the moon because that doesn’t happy very often these days. 

Raspberry Cream Cheese Muffins

This recipe makes 6 or 7 normal sized muffins. When I bake the batter in a 6-cup muffin pan, it makes six. If I use my silicon liners, as you can see, it makes seven. 

Ingredients

5 1/3 oz or 150g fresh raspberries

1 cup or 125g flour

1/2 cup or 100g sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 oz or 56g cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled, plus extra for the pan

1 large egg, at room temperature

1/4 cup or 60ml milk, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Optional for decorating: Pearl sugar

Method

Preheat oven to 350°F or 180°C. Prepare your 6-cup muffin pan by buttering it or lining it with muffin cups. 

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together your flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

Set aside six or seven raspberries to top the muffins and cut the rest in half. 

Tip the halved raspberries into the dry ingredients and stir till they are well coated with the flour. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, mash the cream cheese with a fork, then pour in the cool, melted butter. Use the fork to mix the cream cheese and butter together until you have a mixture that looks like small soft curds.

Add in the egg, milk and vanilla and whisk until well combined. There will still be some tiny lumps of cream cheese.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold until they are just combined.

Divide the batter between the muffin cups in your prepared pan. Top with the reserved raspberries and a good sprinkling of pearl sugar, if using.

Bake in your preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until the muffins are golden all around the edges and a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool in the pan for a few minutes, then remove the muffins and cool on a wire rack. These can be served warm or room temperature.

Enjoy!

It’s Muffin Monday, the last Monday of the month. Check out all the lovely muffin recipes my friends and I are sharing today. 

• Blackberry Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Boston Brown Bread Muffins from A Messy Kitchen
• Chocolate Chip Pecan Banana Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Lemon Blueberry Muffins from Jolene’s Recipe Journal
• Raspberry Cream Cheese Muffins from Food Lust People Love

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all of our lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday can be found on our home page.

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Caprese Prosciutto Salad

What is better than a classic Caprese salad? A Caprese Prosciutto Salad, with the addition of salty, savory ham! If you’ve been making it plain, time to level up.

I have soooo many pictures of almost this exact salad in my photo library because it’s one of our favorite things to make and eat, especially in the summer when the local tomatoes are ripe. But honestly, we make this all year round. 

Sometimes I don’t have prosciutto so I substitute either parma ham, speck or Serrano ham. They all add a welcome saltiness and flavor that goes perfectly with the ripe tomatoes and creamy fresh mozzarella. 

This summer, my basil plants have gone to flower so I’ve been adding a sprinkling of those as well. Basil flowers are pretty and so tasty! They are a great addition to just about any salad so when you are trimming and pruning, don’t just toss them out.

 

Caprese Prosciutto Salad

My typical fresh mozzarella ball weighs a little more than 1/4 lb or 125g if I’m shopping in the UK and 8 oz or 226g, if I’m in the US. In the case of the smaller ball, I use the whole thing for this salad. If you have a bigger ball, add a tomato, it’s all good. 

Ingredients

3 medium tomatoes

1 ball fresh mozzarella (see note above)

1-2 slices prosciutto

Fresh basil leaves

Optional, if you can find them, basil flowers

Freshly ground black pepper

Olive oil

Method

Slice the tomatoes and lay them out on a platter. 

Slice the mozzarella and add one piece (or part of a piece) to top each tomato slice.

Cut the prosciutto into pieces and add one on top of each mozzarella. 

Top each piece of ham with a basil leave.  Season the salad with a few generous grinds of black pepper and a good drizzle with olive oil. 

And, if you have them, add a pretty sprinkle of basil flowers. 

This salad is best served at room temperature or just slightly chilled so if you make it ahead and store it in the refrigerator, take it out about half an hour before serving so it can warm up a bit. 

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and since summer up here in the northern hemisphere, we are sharing salad recipes. Check out the links below. 

• BBQ Chicken Ranch Salad from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Caprese Prosciutto Salad from Food Lust People Love
• Mexican Street Corn Salad from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Roasted Beet & Blackberry Salad from Amy’s Cooking Adventures
• Roasted Beet Salad with Horseradish Dressing from Palatable Pastime
• Strawberry & Green Bean Salad from Mayuri's Jikoni
• Super Delicious Keto Salad from Sneha's Recipe
• Yam Nuea Yang (Spicy Thai Beef Salad) from Culinary Cam

 

>We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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