Recipe review from 8/18/2014

The weekend previous had me in the Twin Cities visiting family - specifically to meet my newest niece!

Ms. Ellie channeling her inner fairy princess.  1 month old.

And then it was off to a two day yoga intensive on anatomy and alignment.  The Husband took on the meal planning for the week. 

The Meal Plan:
Mon (Me yoga and bookgroup)  leftovers
Tues - Pasta with sausage and kale
Wed - leftovers
Thurs (yoga) - leftovers
Fri - errands in town; out
Sat - Roasted Chicken


Orecchriette with Sausage and Kale  (The Kitchn Blog)
This was very tasty; a nice melding of pasta, kale, and sausage.  It took about 30 minutes or so to pull together - I was able to prep the kale, sausage and cheese while the water came to a boil   The Husband did substitute campanelle for the orecchiette because orecchiette is not an option in our corner of the world.  I liked the wider, bigger pasta in this dish as it held its place better next to the sausage.  Definitely use pine nuts if you can - the pine nuts and parmesan rounded all the flavors out.   This made enough for thee substantial meals for two of us.

Serves 4, with leftovers

photo from The Kitchn Blog

1 pound orecchiette (we used campanelle pasta)
3/4 pound smoked chorizo or andouille sausage  (we used venison polish sausage)
Olive oil
About 4 cups kale, mustard greens, or another hearty green, torn into bite-sized shreds
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup toasted pine-nuts
1 cup shredded Parmesan or Pecorino

1) Heat a large pot of salted water to boiling and cook the pasta according to package directions. When tender, drain and reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Return the pasta to the pot and set aside.
Meanwhile, slice the sausage on the diagonal into 1/2 inch slices. Heat a large sauté pan over medium high heat with a drizzle of olive oil. When hot, add the sausage and cook for about 5 minutes on each side, or until well-browned.
2) Shove the browned sausage to the side and add the kale. Pour the chicken broth in, cover, and cook for about 8 minutes, or until the kale is wilted and tender.
3) Mix the kale, sausage, pine-nuts, cheese, and reserved 1/2 cup of pasta water into the cooked pasta. Serve!