I don’t know how my mother put up with my fussy eating as a kid. She was a busy working mum and dinner time was a real pain point because I wouldn’t want to eat mushrooms, eggs, curry, any kind of seafood, any cut of meat with a bone. Peas were barely tolerated. As I got older and had a couple of basic cooking skills under my belt, I got bored of eating a similar thing every night and made her life difficult all over again!

Now being a grown up and having to cook for myself every night, I really feel for what she must have gone through all those years, because feeding yourself something healthy and satisfying every night can be hard enough with a busy schedule and a budget, let alone with kids too. As much as I try to eat well, I really don’t like the thought of denying my cravings and feeling hungry, so this Simple Dinner fits the bill perfectly.

Pesto is one of my go-to dishes whenever I have a few half-bunches of various herbs in the bottom of my crisper drawer. I’ve made it with all sorts of herb combinations over the years but lately I keep seeing interesting looking pestos made with other things like kale and watercress.

For the indulgence factor, I was lucky to receive some samples of the Hot Smoked range from the lovely people at Petuna, and the Ocean Trout paired perfectly with the kale pesto. I loved the way it flaked and the gentle smoked flavour was delicious. I have also enjoyed the Hot Smoked Salmon for breakfast, flaked with avocado and tomato on toast. But you can also feel good that they are high in Omega 3, protein and essential vitamins and minerals.

You need not worry that a kale pesto is bitter and gross, it’s actually one of the best things to come out of my kitchen in recent times. I added some lemon juice and zest for a bit of zing that went really well with the ocean trout, but if you can’t find it, grilled chicken or prawns would be a fine substitution. I topped the dish with rocket leaves and cherry tomatoes for some extra added freshness. We all really loved it and I’ve made it once more in the meantime. Kale Pesto Spaghetti is definitely being added to my repertoire of quick and simple weeknight dinners! Enjoy!

Related: Ottolenghi’s Herb Pie + 7 Ways to use Leftover Herbs

I received complimentary samples of Petuna Ocean Trout used in this recipe. All opinions are my own.

Kale Pesto Spaghetti with Ocean Trout

Serves 4

Kale Pesto

• 3 cups kale, removed from the stem
• 1/2 cup basil leaves
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• Finely grated zest and juice of half a lemon
• 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• Salt & pepper, to taste

• 500g spaghetti
• 1/4 cup cream
• 1 portion Petuna Hot Smoked Atlantic Salmon
• Cherry tomatoes
• Rocket leaves

Place a pot of lightly salted water on to boil for the spaghetti. To make pesto, place ingredients into a food processor and pulse until combined to taste. Over low heat, add the pesto to a pan with the cream and cook for 5 minutes.  Season to taste.

When the spaghetti is cooked al dente, drain well and then add it to the pan with the pesto sauce. Stir the pesto sauce into the pasta and serve, garnishing with flaked ocean trout, cherry tomatoes and rocket.