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.