Crispy Kale and Pasta (aka How to Make Your Hubby Like Kale)

Cooking instructables are tricky for me, I grew up in an Italian family so i learned to cook by osmosis. Food is a HUGE part of most Italian families, but we simply don't typically measure things. I remember many times my daughter getting flustered with me when calling for a recipe from her childhood :

her: how much is a little?

me: i dunno.. a few pinches..

her: ok, so 3 pinches? big pinches or little pinches?

me: i dunno savanna, a few pinches, just put in what looks right.

her: .... how am i supposed to know what 'looks right' when i have never made it?!

With this being said, I like garlic, possibly more than you do. I don't use a lot of salt during the cooking process, salt can always be added but not taken out. So i will probably fall back on "to taste" a lot, and in my opinion "to taste" is how all recipes (except baked goods) should be made- to taste. I promise you will be a better cook (at least in your opinion) if you make this your practice.

Step 1: The Ingredients:

I used this pic, so you can get the approximate ratio of the first 3 ingredients. but to be honest I have never used a recipe when making this,( and I am quite sure all of it can be adjusted to personal taste without ruining the integrity of the recipe).

Kale ( i used a full bunch - remove the stems and woody veins and tear or chop it into pieces)

shallots (i used one large shallot- approx 1/4 cup)

garlic (i used 4 large cloves)

olive oil (approx 1 tbsp)

butter ( approx 3 tbs)

1/2 lb of pasta (i prefer the gemelli , but have made this with other pasta when i didn't have gemelli)

1/2 cup grated fresh parmesan

salt and pepper (to taste)

Step 2: Boil the Pasta

boil until al dente ( meaning firm still)

drain the pasta , reserving 1 cup of the water, set the pasta aside.

Step 3: Cook the Kale

add the kale , reserved water, garlic, shallots, and some salt and pepper to the pasta pot . cook this covered stirring occasionally over medium heat.

Step 4: Cook and Stir, Cook and Stir..

The kale will shrink down as you cook it. once it reduces down as shown, remove the lid and cook off any remaining water.

Step 5: Add Your Butter and EVOO

Add the butter and olive oil , and turn the heat up to medium high, once the butter has melted add in your pasta and stir to coat. then put your spoon down and walk away. Let it sit for a few minutes before u stir again.

Step 6: Continue Cooking..

stirring only occasionally until your noodles start to turn golden brown brown (this is the good stuff!)

trust me when i tell you, you want to cook this until u have a lot of the good stuff going on (it usually takes me about 15 minutes when making it in this quantity)