Kale Pesto Pasta with Toasted Pine Nuts

Scott and I have recently signed up for Farmhouse Delivery, a farm-to-home produce delivery service that brings fresh, organic produce to your doorstep from farmers within 120 miles of Houston. Our first delivery was last week and it was chalk-full of green! In our bundle this week: kale, carrots, onions, romaine lettuce, arugula, beets, oranges, and brussel sprouts... yum :)

Scott, though, does not like kale, and I have a love/hate relationship with arugula, so I ventured over to the Farmhouse Delivery blog for recipe inspiration using the produce we were given. When I read "Kale Pesto", I was immediately intrigued, as I have only ever made pesto from basil - you know, the traditional way.

Well, this kale pesto served over whole grain pasta, sprinkled with toasted pine nuts and parmesan cheese was nutty, slightly salty, and creamy...

So, if you, like Scott, are a kale-hater, then making this kale pesto is a must. I know it won Scott over (at least in pesto-form...)!

What you need:
1 bunch kale, washed and leaves torn off of stem
1/4 c. pine nuts, lightly toasted
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1/4 c. grated parmesan, plus more for serving
1/2 c. olive oil
salt & pepper
1 package pasta of your choosing (we used thin spaghetti, and the original recipe called for paparadelle)

What to do:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Plunge kale leaves into the water, then immediately remove with tongs and place in an ice bath to cease cooking.
Drain in a colander, then place on paper towels to absorb extra moisture.
Place in the bowl of a food processor with the garlic, parmesan, and all but 2 Tbls. of the pine nuts.
Add a generous pinch of salt and pulse briefly to combine and chop.
With the food processor running, drizzle in the olive oil until the kale is minced and all ingredients are well combined, creating a loose, creamy texture for the pesto.
Meanwhile, cook and drain the pasta, reserved ~1 c. of the water.
Place pasta in a large bowl and add the pesto, tossing to combine.
Top each individual serving with a sprinkle of pine nuts and grated parmesan.

Kale in my teeth,

HK

Curried Gnocchi

Some days, you just don't want to go to the grocery store. And by "some" days, for me, it's most days. Which is crazy, because I LOVE to bake, like to cook, but I am just rarely in the mood to find a parking space at our local HEB and run over people toes with my shopping cart fight the crowds for an 8 oz. block of cream cheese. You know?

Well tonight, my friends, THIS girl did NOT have to go to the grocery store. AND, with the help of my hubby, we had a very tasty dinner with things found in our refrigerator and pantry. Double high-five!

Gnocchi is one of those delicacies that I thought a) would take forever to make and b) would be too difficult. Well, wrong, and... wrong.

The ingredient list for gnocchi is a mere 4 items that you will definitely have lying around:

2 lbs yukon gold potatoes

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups flour

1 egg

I found my recipe (as posted on my Pinterest) from this guest post over at WhipUp, and I did not change a thing; hop over to the link above for a detailed description of how to make your gnocchi dough. This, so far, has been the easiest dough for me to handle confidently.

Scott's Curry Sauce

what you need:

1 pound ground pork

1 medium onion, chopped

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons curry powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

juice of 2 limes

8 ounces plain yogurt or sour cream (we used sour cream because, remember, we did not go to the grocery store and sour cream is what was in the fridge!)

salt to taste

what to do:

Heat oil in a large skillet and brown the pork

Remove pork and drain the drippings

Add more oil to the pan and bring back to heat

Toss in onion and saute until clear, then add the garlic, stirring for 1 minute

Add spices to the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 more minutes

Add tomato paste and lime juice, stirring to incorporate with spice and onion mixture

Add the sour cream and cooked pork and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through; add salt to taste

Toss in cooked gnocchi and stir to coat pasta in curry sauce

Serve in a bowl, with mint to garnish!

Dreaming of India... and Italy,

HK