Fettucine with Sausage and Kale

We joined a vegetable co-op recently. We got our first box, and it contained some ingredients I've definitely never used in my cooking before, and in some cases have never eaten before. One of these things was kale. So, to the internet I went. I found this recipe and decided it was a good one to go with. As I was working with it, it occurred to me that kale is probably the green stuff in Italian Wedding soup, so yes, I have in fact had kale before.

I was really unsure how my boys would respond to this one; I feared A wouldn't try it since he doesn't so much like meat plus I got spicy sausage and I wasn't sure how he'd do with it, and I had a feeling M would turn his nose up at the kale. Low and behold, they BOTH ate it, the BOTH liked it, and I did too!

It was a little on the heavy side, so not such a great summer meal, but it was definitely a keeper (should I ever encounter kale again!)

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lb hot turkey or pork sausage, casings discarded and sausage crumbled
• 1/2 lb kale, tough stems and center ribs discarded and leaves coarsely chopped
• 1/2 lb dried egg fettuccine I used whole wheat thin spaghetti
  
• 2/3 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 oz finely grated Pecorino Romano (1/2 cup) plus additional for serving

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Preparation

Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, add some minced garlic and some diced onion; cook till onion is translucent, then cook sausage, breaking up any lumps with a spoon, until browned, 5 to 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, blanch kale in a 6-quart pot of boiling salted water , uncovered, 5 minutes. Remove kale with a large sieve and drain. Return cooking water in pot to a boil, then cook pasta in boiling water, uncovered, until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta-cooking water, then drain pasta in a colander.

While pasta cooks, add kale to sausage in skillet and sauté, stirring frequently, until just tender, about 5 minutes. Add broth, stirring and scraping up any brown bits from bottom of skillet, then add pasta and 1/2 cup reserved cooking water to skillet, tossing until combined. Stir in cheese and thin with additional cooking water if desired.

Serve immediately, with additional cheese on the side.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Fettuccine-with-Sausage-and-Kale-233976#ixzz0tnnfQwJB