Healthy Appetite - Spaghetti with Braised Kale & Crimini Mushrooms

I was lying in bed working on my laptop when I heard the refrigerator door open. It closed a few seconds later, and the cabinet door opened. When that shut, I heard the distinctive rustle of a plastic bag. "What are you eating in there?" I asked Daniel, knowing full well I didn't have much food in the house. A short pause, and then, "umm...pine nuts."

Ladies and Gentleman, it's official. This house is out of food.

Although, in my defense, we'd just finished off the last of my first loaf of bread only minutes earlier, and man, he has one healthy appetite (being 6'4 will do that to you I guess.)

Between work and rehearsal it can be tough to get to the store on a weeknight. As it is I need to bike home as fast as I can at the end of the day to be able to sneak in a quick bite before running off to the theatre. Thank god for Leah who kindly brought me two more bunches of kale from the Tuesday farmer's market this week. Thrown together with some Crimini mushrooms and tossed with spaghetti, it came together in 20 minutes, it's healthy and it was absolutely delicious.

Unfortunately I realized too late that Daniel had left me some pine nuts in the bag. How kind of him. Next time I'll throw them in as well.

Aaaaaannnd on another very exciting note: Tah-dah!!!!!


Look what arrived in the mail today! Thomas Kellar's Ad Hoc at Home cookbook! The ultimate in comfort food recipes. And let me tell you, this book is coffee table worthy. I keep opening it up and thumbing through the pages. I must confess it stayed open on my desk at work for a good portion of the day after lunch. Oh, there are good things to come from that book and onto this blog! I for one, cannot wait!

Spaghetti with Braised Kale & Crimini Mushrooms
adapted from Molly Weizenberg in Bon Appetit

1/2 lb spaghetti or bucatini, cooked according to the package directions
1 large bunch of Lacinato kale
1/2 yellow onion
3 cloves garlic
1 cup Crimini mushrooms
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp or more fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan for serving

Put a pot of salted water on to boil for the pasta. In the meantime, remove the large center ribs from the kale and slice into thin ribbons. Set aside. Dice the onion and garlic, and slice the mushrooms thinly. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat, when the olive oil is hot (it will dimple slightly when you tilt the pan) add the onion, saute about 3 minutes until translucent, next, add the garlic and saute about a minute more, then add the mushrooms. Saute till the mushrooms are tender and brown (adjusting the heat as needed.) When the mushrooms are done, scrape the mixture out of the pan and set aside in a bowl.

At this time the pasta water should be about ready to boil. Put the pasta in and cook according to directions. Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over high heat in the saute pan, when it's hot enough, add the kale and let sit in the pan for about 1 minute before stirring. Saute about 3-4 minutes over high heat, stirring occasionally. Next, add the onion mixture back in. When the pasta is done, drain (reserving a small bit of the pasta water in case you need it at the end) and add to the saute pan with the kale and onions. Toss in the pan with lemon juice and salt and pepper. If the pasta seems dry, add a bit of the pasta water. Top with Parmesan and serve.