Bucatini Pasta with Italian Sausage & Kale
Everyone will be asking for seconds of this extremely satisfying dish.
Ingredients:
1 pound fresh pasta of your choice, such as this week’s bucatini
1 sweet onion, peeled and diced
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 bunch Lacinato kale, greens removed from tough rib ends and then roughly chopped
4 tablespoons freshly-chopped herbs, such as a combination of oregano, parsley and thyme
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus an additional tablespoon for finishing
Grana-style cheese, grated
Fromage blanc, for topping
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Cook the pasta for 5-7 minutes in a pot of heavily salted water until al dente, or just cooked through with a bit of bite left. Reserve about ½ cup of the pasta water, then drain, and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, slice the Italian sausage links into bite-sized rounds and cook in a large skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through and no longer pink on the inside. Remove the sausage to a plate and set aside.
3. Wipe any excess grease from the skillet with a paper towel, then drizzle in 2 tablespoons olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add in the onion and garlic and sauté until tender, about 4-5 minutes. Add in the chopped kale and continue to sauté, stirring until the kale is just wilted.
3. Add the pasta and sausage into the skillet and toss to combine with the kale mixture; season with salt and pepper as necessary. Add in the herbs and toss once more; if the pasta seems a little dry, moisten with the reserved pasta water. Finish by sprinkling each serving with grated Grana-style cheese, a dollop of this week’s fromage blanc and an additional swirl of olive oil.
*This pasta is also delicious topped with some sautéed Black Trumpet mushrooms.
Packed with Produce Recipes
From peppers to tomatoes and fennel to eggplant, this week’s box is full of fresh fall provisions! Also including such favorites as green beans, purple sprouting broccoli and meaty Porcini mushrooms, this autumnal splendor is rounded out by Gruyère cheese bread, rustic Sardinian pasta, farm-fresh eggs, and all the ingredients for a simply-rustic Meyer lemon curd tart, plus fragrant herbs and garden greens, beautiful Angelino plums and bubbly Prosecco. Enjoy!
Here are a few recipe ideas for the week:
Fregola Sarda Salad
A light and bright salad accented by capers, garlic and hazelnuts.
Mushroom Scramble
Serve this earthy scramble with a salad of spring greens to complete the meal.
Pickled Peppers
These addictive peppers are wonderful for snacking, or served with burgers, tacos and sandwiches.
Eggplant Caponata
This traditional Tuscan relish is lovely on toasted Gruyère cheese bread.
Stewed Green Beans with Tomatoes
Braising the beans lends them a beautiful texture!
Fregola Sarda Salad
A light and bright salad accented by capers, garlic and hazelnuts.
Ingredients:
3 large eggs
1¼ cups fregola sarda
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup capers, rinsed and patted dry
2 medium cloves garlic, smashed
1 lemon
2 or 3 medium endives, or 1 head radicchio cored & cut into 1/2-inch ribbons
½ cup torn fresh basil
⅓ cup chopped toasted hazelnuts
Sea salt
Optional: a sprinkling of dried currants
Method:
1. Place the eggs in a pot and cover with cold water by ½ inch or so. Bring to a gentle boil. Turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for exactly 10 minutes. Have a big bowl of ice water ready and when the eggs are done cooking, place them in the ice bath for 3 minutes or so–long enough to stop the cooking. Peel, grate on a box grater, toss with a couple pinches of salt, and set aside.
2. Bring at least 8 cups of water to a boil, salt the water generously, add the fregola, and cook for 10 to 15 minutes (or follow the package instructions). You want it al dente, not at all mushy. Drain, rinse lightly with cold water, and shake off as much residual moisture as possible.
3. While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the capers and garlic and cook until the capers burst and start to brown. Remove from the heat, discard the garlic, and stir in ¼ teaspoon of salt.
4. To serve, transfer the fregola to a large bowl or platter. Pour the contents of the skillet on top of the pasta and give it a good toss. Add the zest from the lemon and about 1½ tablespoons of lemon juice — a good, generous squeeze. Add the endives, basil, and most of the hazelnuts and toss again. Taste and adjust seasoning before finishing with the grated eggs, remaining hazelnuts, and currants.
Sun Ripened Recipes
No matter how you pronounce it, the word ‘tomato’ practically sings of summer, as well it should as the seasonal beauties are now at their best here in August. This week’s box pays homage to the ripe, juicy summer favorite with a selection of heirloom tomatoes, plus fresh bucatini pasta, sun-dried tomato-kissed Pomodoro bread, farm-fresh eggs, and smoky scamorza cheese all to help you enjoy their vine-ripened glory. A wealth of summer produce ranging from fennel and peppers to summer squash and cucumbers, plus ripe Tuscan melon and fresh-picked blueberries from Bow, Washington, finishes off this bright and beautiful lineup.
Here are a few recipe ideas for the week:
Fresh Bucatini Pasta with Heirloom Tomatoes & Basil
Using top-notch olive oil and an authentic Grana-style cheese are key to this dish’s success.
Tian Provencal
If you are looking for a new vegetarian centerpiece, this baked dish is both gorgeous and delicious.
Heirloom Tomato Salad with Corn & Roasted Sweet Onions
Roasted sweet onion adds a wonderful depth of flavor to this refreshing salad.
Cucumber Melon Salad with Feta
A true homage to summer, this salad from The Splendid Table is cool, crisp and juicy.
Pan-Fried Peppers with Lemon & Garlic
Seasoned with slivered garlic, this Bon Appetit recipe is a favorite for enjoying fresh peppers.
Pickled Blueberries
These tart-sweet berries are a wonderful finishing touch for salads and sandwiches (try them on grilled cheese sammie crafted with this week’s smoky scamorza).
