Curry? It's hot. It's cool. It's so good! And this one is Vegan friendly

Here's a true story: When Sean and I went on our honeymoon to Fiji, we stayed on an old coconut plantation and our meals were part of the package. Each morning we told the staff which of three dinner options we wanted that night. Good plan for the resort and it took the pressure off us because we didn't have to make any decisions after a long day on the water or in the mountains. It was a beautiful system, except for one thing: CURRY NIGHT! Somehow, Curry Night came twice a week, and we stayed there for 11 days, so we got LOTS of curry. And we hated it. Don't know what it was, but it did not appeal.
Fast forward and we're selling SPICY RED CURRY AND COCONUT FETTUCINE!
How does something like that happen? Easy: Curry isn't one flavor. It's a combination and the combination varies from place to place. It isn't that we didn't like curry: We didn't like THAT curry.
This week, I've used my friends as guinea pigs to test a vegan-friendly, full-meal dish that took advantage of the curry and coconut flavors. Since my friend Dawn --who loves curry and loves me enough to tell me the truth-- loved this, I feel confident sharing this recipe with you.

Oh, and the farmer's market connection? The mushrooms come from Kitchen Pride. Look for them at Barton Creek and other markets in the area. I got the scallions, cabbage and carrots at Barton Creek, too.

Red Curry Coconut Pasta

Ingredients

• 1 package Gourmet Texas Pasta SPICY RED CURRY AND COCONUT FETTUCINE,  (COOKED AL DENTE, according to package directions)

• 1 TBS vegetable oil
• ½ c. stemmed and sliced Kitchen Pride mushrooms
• 1 one-inch piece of fresh ginger, grated
• 1 small shallot, finely diced
• 1 TBS red curry paste
• 1 15-ounce can unsweetened coconut MILK, stirred
• 1 cup Napa cabbage cut into long thin strips (chiffonade, if you insist)
• 2 medium carrots, julienned (more strips)
• ½ block of extra-firm tofu, large dice
• ½ TBS honey
• 3 green onions (scallions) GREEN part only, sliced on a bias
• Juice of ½ lime
• Chopped cilantro for garnish
• Salt and pepper if you must (I didn’t use any!)

Preparation

• Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook the mushrooms, ginger and shallots until soft,  about 3 minutes.
• Stir in the red curry paste and cook for about 1 minute.
• Whisk in the coconut milk and then add the cabbage, carrots and tofu and cook about 5 more minutes.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the honey, lime juice, scallions (and cilantro if you are using it—I never do.)
• Let cool slightly then toss with the noodles.

The New Adventures of Kale

One of the great things about what we do is getting to get out and about every weekend, finding converts to the whole wheat world and making friends who love our pasta as much as we do. One way we do that is by going to farmer’s markets every weekend.

An added benefit of being at the markets and making friends is finding new and wonderful goodies brought by other food-loving folks. There are three markets we try to make every weekend.

The New Braunfels Farm to Market http://theculinarydistrict.com/farm-to-market.php  is every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. We’ve been there for nearly two years and we look forward to seeing our old friends and new ones, rain or shine. 

We’re also at Barton Creek mall at the same time, enjoying the views of the city skyline from high atop the hill while we share pasta and seek out new adventures.

And every Sunday from 9a.m. to 1p.m., we head north and west and enjoy the time at the Lakeway Commons Farmers Market. http://lakewaycommonsfarmersmarket.com  . We have a lot of fun at this smaller market, partly because of its great live music (which the others share, too), partly because Sunday feels different even if we’re working, and partly because we can’t get enough of the treats from Rob from Hannaleigh Farms. Obviously, salad goes with pasta, and a great salad starts with great lettuce, and Rob has that every week. The really cool thing about Rob’s produce is that he grows it hydroponically, so there’s no dirt to clean out of the greens. He has truly clean greens, which include a few kinds of lettuce as well as really pretty Swiss chard.

Rob also has kale, which he sells out of every week. Since I love dark, leafy greens, kale is something more to me than just that stuff that gets tossed into soups. What to do with the greenest of greens along with pasta? Hmmmm.

That question begged an answer and the answer led to this new adventure. My goal is to find something at the farmer’s market on a regular basis to pair with Gourmet Texas Pasta. I’ll keep you posted on the results as they develop. For now, here’s the first installment. 

 (Be sure to come see us and Rob on Sunday. You can visit his website www.hannaleigh.com to learn more about his growing efforts, if you can't wait 'til Sunday.)

 

 

 

Gourmet Texas Pasta with Braised Kale

Ingredients

• 1 pound Lacinato kale (about 2 bunches) from Rob at Hannaleigh Farms, large center ribs and stems removed, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 8 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 package Gourmet Texas Pasta. I like Artichoke Heart or  Lemon Pepper for this recipe
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• Finely grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

• Rinse kale. Drain; transfer to bowl with some water still clinging.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook until soft and translucent, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes. Add sliced garlic and sprinkle with salt; cook until onion is golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add kale and remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and toss until wilted, about 3 minutes. Cover pot and reduce heat to medium-low. Continue cooking until kale is very tender, stirring occasionally and adding water by teaspoonfuls if dry, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in medium pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid. Add cooked pasta to kale mixture in pot. Add lemon juice and 2 tablespoons reserved cooking liquid; toss to combine, adding more liquid by tablespoonfuls if dry. Sprinkle pasta with grated Parmesan cheese and serve.