Here’s the third installment of our Speedy Gourmet series, where we have just five ingredients and 15 minutes to make a meal. (Salt, pepper, water and basic cooking fats don’t count against the five because, well, I make the rules.) The idea for today’s dinner came from our friend (and Julia’s godmother) Marta, and it’s a tasty one: pasta with braised kale and Italian sausage. (Full disclosure: if you’ve got a slow stove and thick pasta, your cooking time might stretch to nearly 20 minutes. But still . . .)
Here’s the video. Recipe below.
Recipe
(for two)
Ingredients
About 1/2 pound (225g) of pasta (I like penne or garganelli for this.)
1 large bunch of kale (either curly green or black Lacinato or “dinosaur” kale)
About 1/2 pound (225g) of sweet Italian sausage
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
About 2 tablespoons of olive oil, plus 2 teaspoons
grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
1. Put a large pot of salted water on the stove to boil for the pasta.
2. Cut out and discard the ribs from the kale leaves. Give the kale a rough chop and wash it well. (No need to dry it.)
3. Warm about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in sauté pan over medium heat for about a minute and then add the red pepper flakes.
4. After about a minute, add the kale in handfuls, turning it in the pan to wilt. Add a generous pinch of salt (and a splash of water if the pan seems dry), cover and reduce the heat to medium-low.
5. When the water boils, add the pasta to the pot.
6. Warm about 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Take the sausage out of its casing and crumble it into the pan. Cook until well browned, stirring occasionally.
7. When the kale is tender, add the browned sausage to the pan and toss well. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Turn off the heat.
8. Just before the pasta is cooked to your liking, return the kale pan to medium heat. Draw off and reserve about a cup of the pasta water and then drain the pasta and add it to the kale and sausage. Toss well over medium heat for about 2 minutes, adding the reserved pasta water a couple of tablespoons at a time to form a thin sauce. (You’ll probably use 1/4 to 1/3 of the cup of pasta water.)
9. Taste and adjust the seasoning and serve to your grateful guests topped with a generous sprinkling of grated Parmesan.
