Orecchiette with Pancetta, Tuscan Kale & Oregano

Like most home cooks, I always want recipes that are fast and easy, yet taste extraordinary.  Fortunately for you and I, the following dish fits this description!  This is a quick weeknight dinner pasta dish that gives you greens and protein in an effortless way. If you are a vegetarian, or have one to consider, omit the pancetta and add a combination of red and green kale. 

Speaking of greens, gardening season is finally here, and that means fresh herbs.  As you may know, I LOVE cooking with fresh herbs, and they will appear in almost every meal I make at home.  I believe when one cooks with fresh herbs, it makes it easy to achieve amazing results in taste and presentation.  I find great pleasure in the harvesting my own food; it tastes better! I encourage people to grow your own herbs; it's a rewarding and easy project.  Even though I live in the city of Chicago, I have a backyard garden with tons of different herbs and vegetables. Its a small investment, 3 herbs for $10 at Home Depot, but will keep rejuvenating and providing goods all Summer long.

ingredients

1 bunch of Tuscan kale
12 ounces of orecchiette pasta
4 ounces of pancetta, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
2 Tablespoons of Greek oregano, roughly chopped
1/2 cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

preparation

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Wash the kale,remove leaves from rib, and roughly chop the leaves into about 1 inch sections.  Stir the orecchiette into the boiling water. While the pasta cooks, in a large skillet render the pancetta in the olive oil over medium high heat, stirring often, until it browns. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes, for about 30-60 seconds, add the kale or how much kale will fit into the skillet. Toss the kale with tongs until it wilts down, and add the rest of the kale if needed. Ladle about 1/4 cup of the pasta water into the pan. Toss in the oregano and continue to cook until the kale wilts for another 3-4 minutes. Season with salt and fresh ground pepper accordingly to your taste but I think the pancetta already contributes enough saltiness flavor. When the pasta is cooked "al dente" drain it and add it to the skillet.Grate Parmigiano-Reggiano and serve in a swallow pasta bowl. Enjoy!

Beef & Stout Stew + Kale Mashed Potatoes

For the Holidays, I was gifted a subscription to Cooking Light Magazine. I was immediately drawn to the hearty beef & stout stew recipe due to Chicago’s arctic temps (-17 degrees).  

 Hi from Chiberia!

Making the recipe even better, is the kale mashed potatoes it is paired with.  This recipe reminds me of my favorite, beouf bourguignon, which I make all the time in the Winter for SNS (Sunday Night Supper).  I altered the magazine's recipe by using whole pearl onions in place of finely chopped onion (just as I use for my beouf bourguignon).  Also, The Cooking Light recipe called for presliced cremini mushrooms, which saves prep time, but you will never find anything presliced in my grocery cart.  I went for organic cremini mushrooms. They were so small that there was no need for me to slice them. This stew is hearty and filled with aromatic vegetables, herbs, and deep flavored sauce.  

adapted from Cooking Light 

ingredients 

Beef & Stout Stew

12 ounces boneless beef chuck, trimmed and thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
5 teaspoon olive oil, divided
2 cups of pearl onions (frozen preferably)
1 1/2 cups of diagonally cut carrots about 1/4-inch thick
2 cups (6 ounces) of cremini mushrooms, sliced (you can purchase pre-sliced) 
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 Tablespoon of tomato paste (I love the brand Amore) 
2 teaspoon minced garlic 
3/4 cup stout beer (such as Guinness)
1 1/2 cups of unsalted beef stock 
1 tablespoons all-purpose flour 
1 1/2 teaspoons lower-sodium soy sauce ( I used Ohsawa nama soya- I swear by it! ) 

Kale Mashed Potatoes 

4-5 medium Yukon gold potatoes, washed, peeled and cut into quarters 
2 cups Lacinato Kale, sliced
2 tablespoons butter, divided
1/4 cup of heaving whipping cream
Salt and pepper to taste 

preparation

Beef & Stout Stew 

Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to pan, ( I used my medium sized dutch oven) and swirl to coat. Add beef to pan, and cook for 3 minutes, browning all sides. Remove the beef from pan. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil to pan, and swirl to coat. Add the onions, carrot, mushrooms and thyme sprigs; saute for 4 minutes. I let the onions brown lightly before I continued to add tomato paste and minced garlic; saute for 1 minute. Add beer; cook 1 minute,scraping the pan to loosen browned bits. combine beef stock and flour in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add stock mixture to pan. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir  in the beef, cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Stir in soy sauce. Discard thyme sprigs. I garnish my stew with some fresh thyme leaves and serve with a scoop of kale mashed potatoes.  

Kale Mashed Potatoes

Put potatoes into a pot with a tablespoon of salt and cover with cold water.  Bring to a boil over medium high heat and cook until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the 2 cups of sliced kale and saute for about 1-2 minutes. If potatoes are done, drain them well. Toss in a tablespoon of butter and heaving whipping cream and mash with potato masher (old school style) or you can the potatoes through a ricer or food mill before adding the butter and heavy whipping cream. Add kale and stir to combine. Season  to taste with salt and fresh ground pepper. Scoop the potatoes into a bowl and serve with the beef stew. Enjoy! 

Roasted Delicata Squash with White Beans & Kale

Delicata squash is the most under-rated squash. Delicata's  exterior is pale skin and green striations and it has a mild taste, but a bit sweet.  I love all winter squashes, but with this squash you can eat it's skin. It's delicious! Delicata squash is full of Potassium, Iron, and Vitamins A & C.  I like to make this as a vegetarian meal but feel free to adapt meat or pancetta to this. 

ingredients

1 medium Delicata squash
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
10 oz white beans, rinsed and cooked
1 bunch kale washed, trimmed, and coarsely chopped
1/8 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the delicata squash lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.
Brush the squash with olive oil and season it with salt and fresh ground pepper.
Place the squash in a baking dish and roast  in the oven for about 20-25 minutes or until fork tender. Remove from oven and let it slightly cool.

In a saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook it for about 1 minute. Add the kale, cooking with for about 3 minutes, and making sure to stir it frequently. Add the cooked beans to mixture and season with salt and pepper. Set aside until the delicata squash is roasted or begin filling the middle of the squash with the white bean-kale mixture. Sprinkle the top with the shredded Parmesan cheese and place in oven for about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Serve!