Kale and Kalamata Olive Penne

Kale and Kalamata Olive Penne

On a whim at the grocery store I bought some more kale. I am trying to eat healthier and for some reason I have decided kale is the answer. So, I found a recipe online from Martha Stewart that was a tad bit different than my other recipes, and slightly ambitious for me. Instead of a tomato base as I usually use, this one called for a wine base.  The original recipe called for turkey and goat cheese, which would have been delicious. But alas, I had no turkey or goat cheese at home, so I subbed feta cheese instead. I know this dish would have tasted much different with goat cheese and turkey, but the feta was actually really nice with the olives.

Difficulty: Easy(ish) to medium

Time: 45 mins.

Ingredients:

Whole wheat Penne Pasta

¼ cup Olive Oil

3 garlic cloves thinly sliced

Salt and pepper

½  teaspoon Red Pepper flakes

3 green onions chopped (or shallots if you have them)

Lemon zest

¼ cup dry white wine

½ bunch Kale

Feta Cheese

Parmesan Cheese

½ cup Kalamata Olives (pitted and halved)

Lemon Juice

Start off with starting the pasta so it’s done right around when you are done with all the goodies that go with it. Reserve a cup of the pasta water to help keep the sauce liquidy(that’s not a real word, but you know what I mean).

Lesson #1:  This is less of a lesson and more of a question. I’m not sure why many recipes ask that you use the pasta water specifically to add to the sauce. Maybe since it’s already hot and the starch in the water might help thicken the sauce? Well, I didn’t see any great benefit to it in my sauce, but I’m sure there’s a good reason.

 Start off by heating the oil and adding the garlic and green onions salt pepper and red pepper flakes, about 3 minutes. Then, when your onions are translucent, add the wine and lemon zest. Cook until the alcohol has cooked out. Then add the kale and cook it down until the kale is wilted. (Note in my previous blog about kale. It is a tricky beast so be prepared for a bit of a kale mess when cooking with it!) Stir in the cheese and let that melt for a bit, and then add the pasta, olives and a little bit of lemon juice. Top with parmesan cheese.

Lesson #2: Feta cheese does not melt, at all really. So using the goat cheese in this recipe would have changed the dynamics of the flavors and consistency dramatically. The sauce would have been much creamier. The feta tasted good, but cheese is apparently very specific, you can’t just replace one with another and expect the same results! Lesson learned, though I was pleasantly surprised with my results.

Overall this dish came out great though it seemed like most of the flavor came from the olives and nothing else that I had put in the dish (like the wine and the lemons). I liked the red pepper flakes, it added a little bit of heat that you really only noticed after the shock of the kalamata olives wore off. Don’t get me wrong, I love feta and olive just as much as anyone else, but perhaps a simple greek salad would do me just fine. As for the kale, I barely tasted it in this dish (and I added A LOT of kale). So for anyone who’s not really into kale’s taste, this might be a good option for you! I was happy with my end result though, and am looking forward to my pasta for lunch!  I did drink a bit of wine with this, but it was just some of the cooking wine and nothing really worth reviewing. I think I may try cooking with chickpeas soon, as I have many a cans in my pantry. Also, I think it is about time I buy some flour and sugar and bake something! Happy cooking! =)