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Food is Life! Let's Come Back to The Table and Enjoy It Together.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Braised Kale and Beets with Spicy Sausage and Feta Farfalle

        Hello everyone, it has been quite sometime since I put time into posting things for everyone but here is something new. This post is the start of an exciting new venture using local, sustainable, organic crops to create delicious meal ideas.  The produce is supplied to me by a local company, A Simpler Place in Time, and is a great alternative to driving to the grocery store as they deliver to your door every week.  For those of you who do not live in the area you can find the same ingredients I used at your local grocer.  The best part about this dish is that it is simple, healthy, and delicious.  

Produce for this week:
asimplerplaceintime.com

1 Bunch green kale
1 Beet root
2 Large yellow squash
3 Medium zucchini squash
4 Yellow Peaches
1 Tommy Atkins Mango 



Main Dish





Ingredients:
Green kale leaves cut away from ribs and roughly chopped
Beet root peeled and diced
Squash large dice
6 cloves garlic minced
1/2 large yellow onion diced
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup pinot grigio
1 tsp freshly grated black pepper
Kosher salt to taste
4 spicy Italian sausage links-  The sausage I use is made by Paulie O's Italian Gourmet, local only.  Any other quality Italian sausage can be used.  
1/3 cup small diced panchetta
Sun dried tomato chopped for garnish
Feta cheese for garnish
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1.  Prepare all of your vegetables and ingredients ahead of time.  Let all ingredients come to room temperature including your stock and wine.  Make sure they are rinsed well.  When you prepare the kale, cut away from the main rib in the middle and roughly chop it.  As it cooks it will wilt down considerably.  Do not expect kale to keep its rich green color as it cooks.
2.  Heat up a large skillet on medium high and add 1/2 tbsp of oil and coat pan well.  Cook the sausage until it temps at 155F, about 8-9 minutes.  Make sure you turn often to cook evenly on all sides.  Set to the side and let them cool down.  After they are cool enough to handle dice them up. 
3.  Heat the skillet back up on medium high and add 1 tsp oil to the pan.  Let the oil heat up until slightly smoking.  Add your diced beets, onion, and garlic and saute for 2 minutes.  Add the chicken stock and let the beets braise for about 6 minutes.  Add your kale, a pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper, and white wine. Cover the skillet and braise until the kale and beets are tender, about 8 minutes.  
4.  Put your pasta onto to cook and make sure to salt the water.  Farfalle takes about 11 minutes to cook.
5.  Now that you have the pasta and veggies set, wait for the last 5-6 minutes of cooking. Heat another skillet on medium high, add 1 tsp oil until it slightly smokes, add your panchetta and      saute for 1 minute, and then put your squash into the pan.  With just a pinch of salt and pepper, cook the squash until they are tender.    
5.  Once the kale and beets are finished cooking mix in the sausage so that it will get hot again.  Plate your pasta and place the braised kale and beets on top.  Make sure to use a spoon with holes to drain off excess liquid.  Garnish with sun dried tomatoes and feta cheese.  Serve with the sauteed squash to the side.  

Dessert

For dessert my lovely wife, who does most of the baking in our house, made this simple, yet tasty morsel.













Ingredients:
1 Mango chopped
3 peaches chopped
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp granulated cane sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 package Pillsbury pre-made pie crust dough (contains 2 crusts)
Pre-made Vanilla pudding optional

1.  Combine fruit, sugars, and cinnamon.  Let the mixture sit and macerate in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.
2.  Pre-cut the dough into desired shape.  Place the macerated fruit, and pudding if you choose, in the middle of the dough.  Make sure there is about an inch of space on all sides.  Cover with a second piece of dough cut into the same shape.  Use a fork around the edges to create a seal.  Preheat the oven to 350F and bake for 15-25 minutes or until crust is light golden brown.  If you want add extra fruit on top with a dollop of vanilla pudding.  













                  



     

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