Spaghetti with Sausage and Kale

This is supper tonight. Our Grocery Gateway order was bumped from this afternoon to Sunday (will we ever see it?!) so we can't have the burgers and fries originally on the menu. Then I remembered this forgiving pasta, and the single sausage and small portion of ground beef hanging out in the freezer. The real recipe is in Curtis Stone's What's For Dinner - and it is perfect. However, liberties can and will be taken. Fingers crossed!

Spaghetti with Sausage and Kale

8 oz sausage meat or other ground meat, seasoned like Italian sausage
1 or 2 large bunches of kale, stems removed, thinly sliced
1 lb spaghetti or fettuccini
1/2 cup olive oil (Curtis uses 3/4 cup - you could try it with even less than I do)
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp grated lemon zest (or substitute some of the olive oil for lemon olive oil)
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 oz freshly grated parmesan - I like it coarsely grated here
salt and pepper
optional: chili flakes

Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Add kale and cook for about 5 minutes, until tender. Scoop the kale out of the water with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Return water to boil and add spaghetti. Cook until tender. Drain, saving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and brown the meat, breaking it up as you go.  Remove the meat from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add 1/4 c of olive oil and garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, until garlic is fragrant. Stir in kale, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Add spaghetti and another 1/4 cup of olive oil (or lemon olive oil) and toss to coat. Stir in lemon juice then half of the parmesan cheese. Use the reserved pasta water to moisten as necessary.

At this point, we take out Claire's vegetarian portion, and add the meat to the remaining pasta. Taste for salt and pepper, and top each serving with remaining parmesan cheese.

Cheese Biscuits

This week I have cooked almost exclusively from Melissa Clark's Dinner: Changing the Game. It is a wonderful book filled with the just the kind of comforting recipes one needs in these days of uncertainty. Last night I made the Rye & Cheddar Biscuits and was surprised by how easy they were, and how tasty! I've never made biscuits before and this will now be my standard recipe. From her post in the NYT today, I think there is wiggle room for variation. While the original recipe calls for rye flour, I used whole wheat because it's what I had on hand. Perfect with a hearty soup or stew. Enjoy!

Cheese Biscuits

 2 eggs
1 1/2 c flour
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 c plain yogurt
1 tbsp brown sugar
12 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 c grated cheese (cheddar or another hard cheese)

optional: handful of fresh herbs

Heat oven to 450. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl whisk together yogurt, one egg, and brown sugar. Cut butter into flour mixture until you have pea sized crumbs. Gently fold in wet ingredients, followed by cheese and herbs.

On a floured surface, pat dough into a square shape that is 1 1/4 inches high. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the dough into 9 equal pieces. Space close together but not touching on prepared baking sheet. Whisk remaining egg with 1 tbsp water and brush on top.

Bake until brown and tender - 12 to 17 minutes. Cool a bit before serving.

Current Go-To Salad Dressings

My taste for salad dressings and vinaigrettes seems to go in waves. When I like something, I really like it. For example, the pecorino dressing below - that I made three times in one week. It is from the Canal House Cook Something cookbook. It's super easy and very tasty. A really nice alternative to caesar salad dressing. You can use it on romaine or any other sturdy lettuce. I think it might also be nice with broccoli. I also like to have a solid vinaigrette recipe that I can vary as I wish. The one here is from Dorie Greenspan's Everyday Dorie: The Way I Cook. I love it just the way it is. You could add freshly chopped herbs, dried tarragon or oregano, chives or shallots, or whatever else you'd like. It is a staple to dress the salad made from whatever leaves, seeds, and protein I throw together.

Everyday Vinaigrette

Shake together in a small jar:

3 tbsp EVOO
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp white balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dijon
salt and pepper to taste

Pecorino Dressing

Whisk together:

2 oz good pecorino romano, grated finely
1 garlic clove, grated finely
1/3 c boiling water

Then whisk in:

3 oil packed anchovies, finely chopped
1/4 c EVOO
lots of freshly ground black pepper

Add salt to taste