Pasta with kale that tastes good, I swear.

So I've been promising a kale recipe.  I've been promising a lot of things, lately, like also my New Year's resolutions.  And that I'm going to join the gym.

Well, if it seems like my my blog is kind of...spotty...that's because my BRAIN is kind of spotty these days.  Big life changes (like breakups) can do that to you.  I have a whole lot more time and space IN MY HEAD and although I like it, it can be hard to focus. 

But sometimes we have to round up the energies and point em somewhere.  In this case, the delicious pasta with kale that I made. 
This may not seem like a big deal.  Let me tell you why what I made was such a success:

1. Often, when I try to do things "my way" or I "have a great idea" about how to change a tried and true technique, failure and chaos ensue.  Like when I went through my cinnamon phase, because I thought it would be good in just about everything.  That turned out to not be true.  Yes, I am a former professional cook and have concocted some marvelous dishes.  But I have also made some serious disasters.  Ask my mother about the time I made potato salad for her birthday and used vanilla yogurt by accident.  Oops.
- the point is - this time my idea worked!!

2. I am trying to eat more seasonally, locally, sustainably.  I know this makes people's eyes glaze over when they see/hear those words at this point, even if they, too, are trying to do the same thing, so I try not to bore people more than I have to.  And it in itself is boring.  I've been eating a lot of squash these past few months.  Swiss chard.  Sweet potatoes.  Rosemary.  And yes, kale.  This is not light food.   You could temporarily patch the roof of your home with kale, if need be. You could hurt somebody with rosemary.  It looks like something you could break off a tree and make your horse go faster with.  That stuff is no joke.  We're not playing with basil and  thyme anymore, people.  It is HEARTY. 

Anyway.  So when I figured out a great way to use kale, I was very excited.

I don't really have a recipe.  I've made ziti and lasagna a zillion times and don't really use a recipe anymore.  You can look one up and start from there.

I had some grass-fed ground beef I need to use, and some ricotta, and some mozz.  So, ziti it was.  You don't HAVE TO steal your roommate's organic penne, but it'll taste better than the whole-wheat thin spaghetti you bought during one of your stupider trips to the grocery store.  It will stay in the cabinet possibly forever.

Kyle's Non-Recipe Baked Pasta with Kale
Put a pot of water on the stove.  Big pot. 
I browned the beef, tossed in some chopped onion and garlic, and let those soften.  Then I dumped in some canned tomato and some thyme. 

While this simmers away, your water has come to a boil.  Throw a bunch or two of kale in there.  You've cut off the ends of it where the very hearty stem/stalk is.  Let that roam around in the pot for about 2-3 minutes.  You want to soften the kale.  You're softening this brillo pad of a vegetable is what you're doing.  THEN you're going to scoop the kale out with a spider or a slotted spoon and let in drain in a colander because you're going to use the water again for the pasta. 

Bring the water again to a boil and salt it.  You didn't salt it for the kale because somewhere along my culinary path in life I got it in my head that if you salt the water you're going to blanche kale with it'll make the kale tough. 
I'm sticking with it.

Anyway, so cook your pasta.

So while your pasta is cooking, you take your kale and dump it in your blender or food processor.  Add maybe half a cup to a cup of your tomato sauce.  It's ok if there's a few chunks of meat or mushroom or whatever you put in the sauce in there.  You're just rustic like that.

 So you blend the hell out of it.  This breaks the brillo pad down into a tasty sauce.  I also added a couple of tablespoons of ricotta to the mixture, which turned out delightfully.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

 Layer your kale sauce with your tomato sauce.  I only had one layer of kale sauce because I only had one bunch of kale.  But next time, definitely two.  Might as well get all the kale in there you can.

And there you have it.  Seasonally appropriate baked pasta.  Loaded with veg.  My experiment worked and we can all reap the benefits.  Joy!

I walked two miles today.  Goodnight.