Shells with Chickpeas, Sausage & Kale

Today I'm setting out a quick, simple and tasty pasta dish, the type I usually turn to on oh, say, the Monday night before payday. It's a little more gussied up than some other cucina povera classics on rotation in my kitchen, but you can easily nix the sausage if you don't have any on hand or don't eat meat, just up the amount of the kale & chickpeas and it'll still be a very satisfying bowl of comfort food. Feel free to sub orecchiette for the shells; I've made it with both and each form the most delightful little nooks for the chickpeas and other little goodies to nestle.

Shells with Chickpeas, Sausage & Kale
Makes 3 servings

*1/3-1/2 lb shells (De Cecco is always my preferred pasta)

*EVOO

*2 links hot Italian sausage, casings removed

*Good handful of chopped onion

*1 anchovy fillet, minced (optional)

*3 cloves garlic, 1 sliced, 2 minced

*3-4 kale leaves sans rib, ribboned

*Pinch red pepper flakes

*Glug of white wine (about ¼ cup)

*1 cup chickpeas, drained & rinsed

*S&P

*Pinch of chopped fresh thyme leaves

*Grated Parm

Put a pot of well salted water on to boil for the pasta. Saute the sausage in a wide pan with a little olive oil until nicely browned and cooked through, then remove and set aside. Add a touch more oil and saute the onion for a couple minutes, then throw in the anchovy if you please, and let it mmmmelt into the oil. Add the garlic then after about a minute add the kale and saute for a couple more minutes. Splash in the wine and once the alcohol whiff burns off, add the chickpeas and sausage. Set to low, season, and then add the drained pasta to the pan, tossing with a little reserved pasta water if it's dry. Dust servings with freshly-grated parm and thyme leaves.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

A stuffed squash makes for a beautiful, and economical, dish. As with bread bowls and ice cream cones, it's just plain fun to nibble at the vessel AND its contents. I usually make my stuffed squashes an omnivore's delight, but feel free to saute shiitakes instead of sausage, should you desire a vegetarian main. Bonus is that depending on the size of your squash, you'll have a little extra stuffing to pop into tomorrow's omelet or over some bitter greens. 

Stuffed Acorn Squash
Makes 2 servings 

*1 acorn squash
*1 tablespoon EVOO
*2 teaspoons maple syrup
*1 cup cooked brown rice
*2 tablespoons toasted pepitas
*2 links Italian hot sausage, casings removed

*1 small shallot, sliced thinly

*3 cloves garlic, minced
*2 leaves kale, stemmed and torn into bite-sized pieces

*1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves
*Pinch of crumbled dried sage leaves
*S&P

Preheat the oven to 400. Whisk together the oil and syrup with pinches of salt and pepper. Cut the acorn squash in half and scoop out the guts. Cut a sliver of the rounded bottoms off too, so that they'll stay in place on the baking sheet. Place the halves facing up on a rimmed baking sheet, and brush the syrup-oil mixture all over the squash halves and into the hollows (pro-tip: I drizzle a little of the maple-y oil over the pepitas and toss before toasting them briefly in the oven). Bake the squash for 45-60 minutes, or until perfectly tender.

Meanwhile, cook the rice, if not already on hand. Near the end of the baking time, saute the sausage in a wide skillet, breaking it up into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Once it has browned and cooked, remove from the skillet and throw the shallots in for a couple minutes with a little extra oil if needed before adding the garlic. Then, add the kale and continue to saute for a few minutes more until the kale is wilted. Turn off the heat and add the pepitas, sausage, sage, thyme and rice. Mix well and season to taste with S&P. Remove squash from oven. Fill both halves with the stuffing and serve.

Dapper Owl Plate, Rachel Kozlowski for West Elm

Turkey Avocado-Blue Sandwiches with Kale Chips

Perhaps not a La Rochefoucauld-minted maxim, but "Everything Tastes Better with Bacon" is nonetheless a simple, amaranthine truth. Less constant is "Everything Tastes Better with Avocado", but when it comes to sandwiches, the saying is: Absolutely Correct. Biting through the layers of any given sandwich, it is always a pleasure to come across a rich, buttery wealth of avocado. For this particular specimen, instead of simply cutting the avocado into slices I decided to mash the pale green fruit flesh with some blue cheese (Gorgonzola), a delicious combo reminiscent of Nigella Lawson's "Roquamole". I slathered it on the bread as a spread before stacking the bacon, turkey, tomato, Swiss and lettuce. I opted for some verdant kale chips on the side for a tidy noontime meal, but you could just as well serve the sandwich next to a luscious bisque for a quick and hearty dinner.

Turkey Avocado-Blue Sandwiches
Makes 2 Sandwiches

*4 slices of your preferred bread (I'm using a rustic loaf from my local bakery)
*Half an avocado
*Heaping 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese of your choice
*Squeeze of lemon juice
*Romaine lettuce leaves
*4 slices good slab bacon
*6 oz deli-sliced turkey
*2-4 thin slices of tomato
*4 thin slices of a nutty Swiss

Fry bacon until crisp, blot on paper towels. After splitting 'n pitting the avocado, remove the flesh from the jacket and mash with the cheese and a squeeze of lemon until it resembles a thick spread. Lightly toast your bread, and then spread two slices with the avocado-blue cheese mix. Assemble the lettuce, bacon, turkey, tomato and Swiss as well as any other fixings of your choice, and presto, sandwich! I usually wrap the other half of the avocado well in Saran and pop in the fridge for the next day, but you could always mash it up with more cheese, a squeeze of lemon and a dusting of paprika for an excellent quick dip.

You may find my kale chips post here. 

Curried Lentil, Potato and Kale Hodgepodge

First off, I promise I'll never again post another Instagram-filtered shot of a finished recipe, but this ain't a particularly pretty bowl of food to start and could use the help... plus, I was too tickled by Mr. Frisky's blitzed-out look and just had to include it.

This recipe is a variation of one posted on Smitten Kitchen a couple years back, and although it does come out looking a bit like slop, it is -very- tasty and quite filling. And, seriously cheap. My version includes waxy white potatoes instead of sweet, and kale instead of chard, but you can certainly tinker with it to suit your own palate.

Curried Lentil, Potato and Kale Hodgepodge
Makes 4-6 servings

*Olive oil or ghee
*1 onion, finely chopped
*4-5 garlic cloves, minced
*1 heaping tablespoon of minced ginger
*1 teaspoon garam masala
*1 teaspoon curry powder
*1/2 teaspoon cayenne
*4 to 5 cups chicken stock as needed (use vegetable stock to make the dish vegetarian)
*2-3 potatoes, diced into smallish cubes
*1 1/2 cups brown lentils
*1 bay leaf
*2 handfuls of chopped kale, ribs removed
*S&P
*1 teaspoon paprika
*1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar
*1 healthy pinch amchoor powder
*Chopped scallions or cilantro for garnish

Pick over lentils for stones and such, rinse, then drain well. In a large pot, heat a glug of oil over medium heat and saute the onions for about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and saute for a couple minutes more before adding the garam masala, curry powder and cayenne. Cook another minute or so before adding in 4 cups of stock, potatoes, lentils and a bay leaf. Bring to a boil over high; cover partially, and reduce heat to a good simmer for 25 minutes. Stir in the kale, paprika, salt and pepper to taste, and continue simmering until all the components are thoroughly cooked, adding a touch more stock if necessary, for about 35-40 minutes more. Just before serving, stir in the vinegar and the amchoor powder. Garnish with chopped cilantro or scallions.

Kale Chips

I adore kale in any and all forms, but making chips out of the leafy green is certainly up there on the list of preferred prep methods. They're lovely little things, kale chips... delicate and fragile, with an enticing crunch and darkly savory flavor. And, as I found out while picnicking at Marsh Creek State Park over the holiday weekend, they add a delicious dimension when slipped into turkey and Havarti on rye sandwiches. The seasoning possibilities extend infinitely, but I usually use harissa-infused olive oil from A Taste of Olive and a pinch of cracked pink Himalayan salt.

Kale Chips

*1 bunch curly kale
*1 glug of infused olive oil (about a tablespoon)
*A pinch of good salt

Set the oven to 300. Remove the ribs from a bunch of kale and chop the leaves roughly; wash and thoroughly dry. Toss the chopped kale with the olive oil and salt (or whatever seasonings you wish to use), and arrange on a large baking sheet (depending on the size of the bunch, you may need to do two batches for all the pieces to fit). Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until nice and crispy (but not burnt!).

Herbed Turkey Burgers with Kale Pesto

On a particularly excellent episode of FOX's animated series Bob's Burgers last week, Bob's burger special of the day was "If Looks Could Kale", and I found myself desiring a fictional punny foodstuff something fierce. I devised my own "If Looks Could Kale" burger tonight, although the kale aspect was only a hit with 1/2 of the household, namely me. Other household half proclaimed the pesto to be too "raw", unsurprising as he views all non-basil-based pestos as an abomination. I happen to love the raw, darkly vegetal flavor of kale, though. I look forward to stirring the leftover pesto into some toothsome whole-wheat linguine down the road.



Owlbert plate by Rachel Kozlowski



Kale Pesto
Makes about 1/2 cup
*Overflowing handful of chopped kale leaves, ribs removed
*1/4 packed cup of baby spinach
*1 garlic clove
*2 tablespoons raw pepitas
*S&P
*1/2 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
*1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (or enough to thin out to desired constancy)
*A squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Parboil kale for about 6-7 minutes, shock with cold water, drain, and then squeeze kale dry of any liquid. Whiz kale, spinach, S&P, pepitas and garlic in a mini food processor and add olive oil in a steady stream until you've reached desired consistency and taste.  Add Parmesan cheese and pulse until combined, and then mix in a squeeze of lemon juice.

Herbed Turkey Burgers
Makes 4 patties

*1 lb ground turkey (the best ground turkey I've found locally is from Lindenhof Farm, who frequently sends envoys to the West Chester Growers Market).
*A couple teaspoons finely minced or grated shallot
*2 pressed or finely minced garlic cloves
*Heaping teaspoons a'piece of minced rosemary, parsley and thyme
*S&P
*Slices of good Swiss cheese
*Hamburger buns of your choice

In a bowl, gently squelch together the turkey meat, shallot, garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper. Try not to overwork the meat, though. Shape into 4 patties and crack some more pepper + a sprinkle of kosher salt over them as they sit. Heat a cast iron pan to between medium and medium-high and add a good slick of high smoke point oil. Once the oil is hot, lay the burgers in and cook undisturbed approximately 5 minutes per side or until just cooked through. With one minute left, add the cheese slices on top to melt and then toast your buns lightly.

I spread about a tablespoon of the pesto on the bottom bun, laid the cheesed burger on top, and then topped with some sliced avocado. I realize that adding another greenstuff compromises the integrity of "If Looks Could Kale", but I advocate for avocados as choice topping for every turkey burger. Other household half used his favorite BBQ sauce. To each his own!

Cavatappi with Sausage, Kale & Tomatoes

A superquick, supertasty weeknight meal. My husband had some credit with Amazon that, if I have the story straight, could only be used on Groceries (?) so he bought a pallet (!) of De Cecco cavatappi (and, quaintly/weirdly, a pallet of UK-style Heinz baked beans in cans that look like Mad Men props) so pretty much any pasta dish I've cooked up in the past couple of weeks has incorporated this corkscrew style. It works well here but that's not to say your favorite pasta shape wouldn't work just as well.



Cavatappi with Sausage, Kale, & Sundried Tomatoes
Serves 2 + modest leftovers for lunch

*3/4 lb cavatappi (or pasta of your preference)
*1/2 lb hot Italian sausage, casings removed or in patty form
*A couple large leaves of kale
*1/2 cup sundried tomatoes in oil, drained and sliced
*3 tablespoons butter
*2-3 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
*1 lemon
*Red pepper flakes
*S&P
*Chopped parsley (optional)

Put water on to boil for the pasta. In a small pan melt 3 tablespoons of butter, and lightly saute the garlic. Wash, dry and slice the lemon and place all the pieces but the ends in the butter and simmer over low heat for the duration of the pasta's cooking process. Remove lemon pieces (and strain if you'd like).

Meanwhile, brown the sausage until fully cooked, breaking it up into bite-size pieces, and then set aside. Remove the ribs from the kale, chop into manageable pieces, and saute softly in a stolen spoonful of lemon butter. Add some red pepper flakes, a crack of pepper and some salt, and a little bit of the pasta water to further wilt the kale. Set the kale with the sausage after about 6 minutes. After pasta has cooked to al dente, drain casually (you don't need to shake every last drop out of those coils) and return to the pot. Mix in the sausage, kale, lemon butter, and sundried tomatoes. S&P to taste. Squeeze the ends of the lemon over the mix to get the last drops of juice from the teensy bits of fruit flesh left. Garnish with chopped parsley if you please.