Beet Green Pesto with Beet & Kohlrabi Chips

For as long as I can remember, I’ve hated beets.  That hatred was solidified in ninth grade at my first USY convention.  It was “Survivor” themed and we were in the “Food of our People” relay race challenge.  Some people had to eat matzah or tzimmes. I had to suck down a bowl of borscht.  It was awful and I remember I could hardly swallow the stuff.

Fast forward fifteen years and when beets showed up in my CSA share, I panicked.  I didn’t think I could prepare them, much less eat them, without feeling physically ill.  Then I remembered that I love terra chips, so I decided to try to recreate them with the beets and kohlrabi.

To make the chips, I simply thinly sliced them, tossed in olive oil, pink salt and cracked black pepper, put them in a single layer on a lined cookie sheet, and baked at 300 degrees for an hour (it could have been more, I forget) until they were dried and crispy.  I made the mistake of trying to turn up the heat and incinerated a few.  Don’t do that!

But what are chips without a dip?  Enter beet green pesto.  My garden basil has bene growing like crazy, so I clipped some of it, along with some parsley. A quick blanch on the beet greens, some of the CSA garlic scapes (my favorite!), velvety walnuts and olive oil and the dip was made.

And people, it FLEW off the plate!  Between my husband and kids, they couldn’t get enough…I hardly had any!  We had the leftover dip all week with chicken, fish, meat and veggies.

Beet Green Pesto

• Greens from three large beets, blanched for one minute
• 2 garlic scapes, bud trimmed off
• 2 small handfuls of basil
• 1 small handful of parsley
• 1 handful walnuts
• 1/2 cup olive oil (more or less depending on how thin or thick you want it)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Puree everything in a food processor.  Stays in the fridge for a week!