Getting your greens

Kale is gaining popularity as an amazing superfood. It has been featured in NY Times countless times. It has antioxidants and vitamins in spades, including vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, and beta carotene. Some people claim it can even help cure cancer. Regardless of the truth of that statement, one thing is clear- kale is good for you. Luckily, it is also quite tasty as well!

For my first time trying kale, I decided to get a bunch at the local farmer's market. I bought a lovely bunch of kale with ruby red stems and veins. I ended up trying two recipes- soup and pasta. They both had essentially the same ingredients and flavor profiles.

First, I made traditional Portugese kale, potato, and sausage soup. This was a hearty, flavorful soup. It's not something I would make on a regular basis though. The kale is very substantial and has a strong, almost spicy taste. However, I found that the soup itself was lacking. Perhaps it was because I used boxed broth and not fresh. You can find the recipe here, i followed it to a T.

Next, I decided to use the same combinations in a penne pasta. This turned out to be really amazing! Kale works really well with sausage- the sausage brings out the spice in the kale. The mushrooms were a great choice as well- the dish was earthy, spicy, and flavorful.

Here's an approximated recipe for the pasta:

Kale, sausage and mushroom pasta

Ingredients:

• 2 servings of penne pasta
• 1 shallot, diced
• 1 handful kale, stems removed and roughly chopped
• 6 or 7 cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 2 Italian chicken sausages, casing removed (uncooked preferably)
• 1 small handful of fresh parmesan cheese
• red pepper flakes

Method

1. Cook pasta al dente. While pasta is cooking, heat tsp of oil in a large pan.
2. When oil is hot, fry the shallots until lightly browned. Add the chicken sausage, stir fry it and crumble the sausage.
3. When the sausage is brown, add cremini mushrooms and kale. Stir fry for a few more minutes until kale is wilted.
4. Add pasta to the pan. (I like to add a little pasta water for moisture, but don't overdo this step.)
5. Season with parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes. Serve hot.

Amazing meal for a cool, sunny Sunday noon