Name: Swiss Chard Pesto
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 1 cup
Cuisine: Caribbean
Ingredients: 150 g fresh Swiss chard, leaves only. Washed and stalks and center ribs removed.; 2 cloves of garlic, peeled; 2 tablespoons (20 g) peanuts, roasted; 0.4 cup (100 ml) extra virgin olive oil; 1/2 cup (50 g) parmesan cheese, grated; A squeeze of lime; Salt & pepper

Swiss Chard Pesto

Hello everyone! Happy New Year!

I hope that you had a great 2015 and that your holidays were delicious and festive!

Looking back at last year, I can only be happy. The statistics tell me that I had a total of 24.000 views on my blog from people in 132 different countries. Seriously! And a long-awaited dream became reality with the publication of my first cookbook “Modern Caribbean Flavors”, that I made together with the ladies of Diva’s Publishing. This is the reason why you haven’t seen that many blogposts lately. But hey, it’s a pretty good reason isn’t it?

Now that the new year has started, it’s time to get back to work. With most of our New Year’s resolutions still fresh in our minds, let’s make a healthy start with this Swiss chard pesto.

Swiss chard, or “warmus”, is a popular vegetable on Curaçao. The great thing is, is that it is produced locally so we can buy it fresh from our own farmers. In other countries it is also known as silver beet, chard or spinach beet. On Curaçao it is often used in a mashed potato dish called “warmus ku batata” or in a stew called “warmus stoba”. But of course there are many other ways to use this veggie, and this is where I come in. Let’s get creative and make warmus the kale of the Caribbean. Starting today!

Swiss Chard Pesto

Author: Helmi Smeulders
Prep Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 15 mins
Yield: 1 cup
Cuisine: Caribbean

Ingredients

150 g fresh Swiss chard, leaves only. Washed and stalks and center ribs removed.
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons (20 g) peanuts, roasted
0.4 cup (100 ml) extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup (50 g) parmesan cheese, grated
A squeeze of lime
Salt & pepper

Instructions

Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Prepare a bowl of ice water. Blanch the chard for 2 minutes and cool in the ice water. Drain and squeeze out the remaining water with your hands.
Put the chard, garlic, peanuts, oil and cheese in the bowl of a food processor and whizz into a smooth paste. Add a squeeze of lime juice and season to taste with salt and pepper.