This kale pesto linguine is stunningly delicious with aromatic basil, piquant garlic and parmesan, warm al dente pasta and flecks of fresh, zingy and salty preserved lemons.
Put the linguine on to cook in a large pan of boiling, salted water. Aim to cook for 8-10 minutes, depending on how much bite you prefer.
Meanwhile, warm a pan over a medium heat and toast the pine nuts for a couple of minutes until golden. Keep an eye on them and keep shaking/stirring as they can easily burn. Remove the pine nuts from the pan and set aside to cool.
Put 1/2 tbsp olive oil in the pan. Add the garlic, chilli flakes and a pinch of salt and pepper and fry for 1 minute until just colouring.
Add the basil and kale and stir fry for 1-2 minutes until just wilted.
Put the pine nuts, parmesan, cooled kale mix and remaining olive oil in a food processor and pulse until you have a coarse pesto. If your food processor bowl is large, you may need to scrape down the sides with a spatula a few times to get everything chopped.
Spoon the pesto into a bowl stir in the preserved lemons. Season to taste. The lemons are typically salty, so you may only need pepper.
Drain the pasta and return to the pan.
Add the pesto and fold through.
Serve.
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Notes
Make sure to properly dry the basil and kale before cooking so as not to introduce too much moisture to the pesto.