Pasta – My Mood-Altering Meal

By Lori Powell

Oscar night!  So excited, especially since I have been without a TV for weeks now. Soooo thought I would splurge and buy a new one. Big mistake.

After listening to the techie guys for about 1 ½ hours I thought I had made a wise choice…no go! The picture was horrible, no matter what I tried to do to correct the color, tint and sharpness.  It had all of the latest stuff of what makes a great picture nowadays, or so I was told.

The only thing that saved the evening was my pasta dish of kale, sausage, tomatoes and Parmesan. As soon as I began cooking, with a glass of wine in hand, all seemed right with the world again – at least for that night.

Tonight I have to return the blasted thing after repacking it in its original wrappings. Change is good… but right now I could use a strong dose of normal (whatever that is) and the next mood-altering meal!

Pasta with Sausage and Kale
Serves 1 or 2

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 ½ cups grape tomatoes, halved
½ pound sweet or hot Italian sausage removed from casings
½ cup dry white wine (plus extra glass for the cook)
6 ounces whole grain penne
1 bunch Lacinato or dinosaur kale, tough ribs discarded and leaves chopped
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup chopped fresh basil

Heat oil over moderate heat in a large skillet and cook onion until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes and cook over moderately high heat until tomatoes are bursting and are wilted, about 4 minutes. Stir in sausage and cook, breaking up meat and tomatoes with a spoon until meat is crumbly and no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Add wine and reduce by half, about 3 minutes.

Meanwhile cook pasta in a pot of salted boiling water until al dente, about 8 minutes. Reserve ½ cup pasta cooking liquid and drain pasta well.

Stir kale into the sauce and cook until just tender, about 3 minutes. Toss in drained pasta, reserved pasta cooking liquid and 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan. Cook over moderately low heat until sauce coats the pasta, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper

Spoon pasta into bowl(s) and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and the basil.


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