Winter Pasta

Yes Mom, I'll eat my kale. When it's in this pasta!  I talked about a bag of kale that showed up on my doorstep over a week ago now, with kale that amounted to four or five bunches.  I've had kale out my ears for days.  We ate it in a white bean stew, I had it in several salads, even baked it as chips (which I found revolting) but this was the best way to eat it.  The only way I really enjoyed it.  I'm not a kale lover, you see, something about the texture and just how bitter it can be.  My Grandpa was talking about a Russian kale as being sweeter than it curly counterpart, so I might try that one.  But I will not be planting kale next year, thats for darn sure.  Okay...maybe just one for budacole.

This winter pasta recipe comes from here, 101 cookbooks, or as I like to think 101 reasons to throw you hands up in the air and chuck 101 kitchen pieces out the window along with your camera after you realize you will never be as talented as Heidi.  Jealous much Alyssa?  To the pasta; it's well balanced and earthy, zippy and fine.  And seriously, what is better than filling up on pasta?!  On a blustery day? In the beginning of fall?  If you can remember, I'd use a whole wheat pasta, you know, add a little more fibre.  But clearly I forgot, such is the story of my life, so I did feel a little guilty eating a big bowl full...twice.

Winter Pasta


Makes four or five moderate lunch-sized bowls.  Add a few slices of chicken or a poached egg and you've got four entrees.


Ingredients:
4 cloves garlic, peeled
4 shallots, peeled
1 bunch kale, 8oz, taken off the stem and thoroughly washed
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup (2oz) goat cheese
salt and pepper
a squeeze of lemon juice, optional
12 oz (340g) dried penne, (whole wheat if you'd like)
a few leaves of thyme

Directions:
Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil over high heat.  Drop in the cloves of garlic and shallots.  Boil for 2-3 minutes.  Drop the kale in for 10 seconds, no longer.  Quickly pull out the kale, garlic and shallot with tongs or a slotted spoon and place in a food processor.  Begin to puree the mixture adding oil and goat cheese to the bowl.  Add a couple of tablespoons of boiled water if things need to be thinned out.  Salt and pepper the sauce and add a squeeze of lemon juice if necessary.  Set aside.

Bring the water back to a boil and drop in pasta.  Cook according to the directions on the package.  Drain and add to the sauce right away.  Combine the two and spoon it into bowls.  Top with thyme leaves and sprinkled goat cheese.