Love, Loss and What I Ate

I've been scaring people at the gym a little this week.

I agreed to be part of a reading called Love, Loss and What I Wore, which is a collection of scenes and monologues about women and their clothes.  It sounds fluffy--and it kind of is--but there is some truth to the idea of that we are what we wear (as well as what we eat).

But back to scaring people at the gym--I have been running lines while on the elliptical machine.  Mind you, I'm not saying them out loud, but I'm reading and thinking through them, and gesture a little like I plan to do in the show.

I don't act much anymore, since I keep getting offers to direct shows.  There are two problems with getting back onstage after spending a couple of years sitting in the audience giving others direction.  First, acting is terrifying when you haven't done it for a while.  It is no easier when you're onstage with actors you admire who are capable of making anything funny.  The other four women in this show are a formidable, talented bunch.

This also means I'm not home to cook every night, which I was kind of getting used to before I agreed to do the show.  Monday night was my last night off before I plunged into a week of rehearsals, as well as being the last evening of a three-day weekend, so I wanted to make something special.

And, make no mistake, this pasta is special.  Slightly spicy, full of wilted dark leafy greens and thickened with toasted bread crumbs, the sauce is a winner.  David made homemade linguine to eat with it, but good-quality dried pasta will work just as well.

Pasta with Sausage and Kale

Adapted from The Mozza Cookbook by Nancy Silverton

1 small bunch Lacinato kale

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped

6 garlic cloves, sliced

2/3 cup water

3/4 lb. Italian chicken sausage, removed from its casings and coarsely chopped

2 small peperoncini peppers, crushed

1 cup low-sodium chicken stock

1 tbsp. unsalted butter

12 oz. fresh or dried pasta

1 tbsp. good-quality extra-virgin olive oil to finish the sauce

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated

2 tbsp. bread crumbs, toasted

Kosher salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste

Wash and dry the kale.  Cut the leaves away from the stems and chop the stems into 1/2 inch pieces. 

In a large, deep skillet, heat the quarter cup of olive oil over medium heat.  Add the kale stems and cook for two to three minutes, or until they are softened.  Add the onion and garlic and sprinkle with a small amount of salt.  Then add the water and cook this mixture until the vegetables are thoroughly tender but not mushy, about ten minutes.  You will need to stir this mixture as it gets to the end of the cooking time to prevent the vegetables from sticking to the pan.

Add the kale leaves and cook for an additional one to two minutes, stirring them into the stem mixture.  Then reduce the heat to low and cook this mixture for another fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally.  The mixture is done when it is very soft and thoroughly wilted.

Empty the skillet onto a cutting board and allow the vegetables to cool.  Start the pasta water at this time;  if you are using dried pasta, cook to al dente;  if you are using fresh pasta, it will only take a minute or to to cook.

Using the same skillet, heat it over high heat, add the tablespoon of olive oil and then add the sausage.  Allow it to cook without being stirred for about two minutes, or until the sausage is thoroughly browned.  Then stir the sausage, breaking it apart into even smaller chunks, reduce the heat to medium and cook for another four minutes.



I added a bit more onion to the sausage, but this isn't necessary.



While the sausage is cooking, chop the kale mixture very finely.  You will use most of it in the pasta, but we served the leftover vegetables on the side--they taste like a steakhouse creamed spinach dish, but way healthier.

Add 3/4 cup of the kale mixture to the sausage and stir to combine.  Add the peppers and cook for another two to three minutes, then add the stock and reduce the heat to a simmer.  You will need to stir often to prevent the sauce from sticking.

Add the tablespoon of butter, sprinkle in the cheese and stir to combine these ingredients with the sauce.  Add the bread crumbs and stir again--you should have a lightly thickened sauce.

Toss with the pasta to combine.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serves four.

Kale and Cannellini Beans, Two Ways: A Love Story

It's August in Anchorage, which means one thing:  rain, rain, and well, more rain.

The rain took a very brief hiatus on Sunday, just long enough for me to do the half-marathon with my training partner, Paul.  We had a personal best time, the sun was shining and everyone felt a little bit better about living in Alaska in August.  Until yesterday, that is, when the clouds and rain moved back in.

On the plus side, there's nothing like an Alaskan August to get you thinking about fall foods, including serious dark leafy greens.  I've already posted photos of the kale and white bean bruschetta from last Friday, but the classic Italian combination of cannellini beans and Tuscan kale is also fantastic as a side dish.  I even made a sandwich with a piece of fresh baguette from my favorite artisanal baker, leftover salsa verde (recipe here) and some fantastic parmesan.  It sounds strange, but trust me, it was crunchy, chewy and somehow soul-satsifying.

Basically, this is a dish that can turn into a soup, a side dish and an appetizer.  If you used canned white beans, you can skip the first step.

Tuscan Kale and Cannellini Beans
Adapted from Bon Appetit, November 2010

1.5 cups dried cannellini beans, rinsed and picked over
1 cup chopped yellow onion
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 dried bay leaf
1 tsp. salt
4 cups Tuscan kale, stems removed
3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
4 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Red pepper to taste

Put beans in a large pot and cover them with cold water, bringing the water to at least three inches over the beans.  Bring the pot to a boil and let it boil briefly, about a minute.  Remove the pot from the heat, put a lid on it and let the contents sit for an hour.  Then, drain the beans, return them to the pot and add an additional eight cups of water, along with the onion, garlic and bay leaf.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until the beans are tender but not mushy.  This should take approximately an hour to an hour and a half. 

While the beans are cooking, destem and roughly chop the kale.  When the beans are ready, add salt and kale and cook for an additional four minutes.

Drain the pot and transfer the beans and kale to a large serving dish, and the boiling liquid can be kept if desired to add to stock.  Add the oil, lemon juice and red pepper--I used tiny dried Italian peppers labeled peporoncini, and I would start with one and add another if I wanted more spice.  Gently combine the ingredients and add additional salt if necessary.

Serves up to 12 as a side dish, but I recommend setting aside some for the bruschetta:

White Bean Bruschetta with Kale
Adapted from Bon Appetit, November 2010

1/2 good-quality baguette, cut into 1/2 thick slices
1 garlic clove, halved
Extra-virgin olive oil
1.5 cups of the kale and cannellini mixture from the above recipe

Cut the baguette--I prefer diagonal slices, which also has the advantage of leaving the ends to snack on while cooking.  Rub the bread slices with the cut side of one of the garlic clove halves.  Brush the bread with the olive oil and toast under the broiler until just golden.

Top with the kale and cannellini mixture and serve.  Makes twelve appetizers.