What’s for dinner?
Every time Janna and her gang visit us, they bring a scrumptious dinner. Apparently, this is part of the secret as to why they’re always welcome wherever they travel. Now, Mike D. sure can cook, but Jan’s hubbie Anwar is a close rival. Here’s what he brought for dinner last weekend. And, oh, was it easy to make and good.
ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lb medium or spicy turkey or pork sausage, casings discarded and
sausage crumbled - 1/2 lb kale, tough stems and center ribs discarded and
leaves coarsely chopped - 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 lb dried egg noodles or fettuccine
- 1 lemon
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2/3 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup grated pecorino-romano or mozzarella cheese
preparation:
Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then cook sausage, breaking up any lumps with a spoon, until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain grease.
Meanwhile, blanch kale in a 6-quart pot of boiling salted water, uncovered, 3-5 minutes. Remove kale
with a large sieve and drain. Return cooking water in pot to a boil, then cook pasta in boiling water, uncovered, until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta-cooking water, then drain pasta in a colander.
While pasta cooks, add kale and garlic to sausage in skillet and sauté, stirring frequently, until just tender, about 5 minutes. Add broth, stirring and scraping up any brown bits from bottom of skillet, then add pasta and 1/2 cup reserved cooking water to skillet, tossing until combined. Stir in 3/4 cup cheese and thin with additional cooking water if desired. Squeeze fresh lemon over dish, with dash of salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, with 1/4 cup cheese on the side.
adapted (just slightly) from recipe at Epicurious.
photo by Romulo Yanes
Gather ‘Round the Campfire
Do you have wonderful campfire memories, the kind that make you want to hum an old camp song and chow down on s’mores? Well, after two years of begging, pleading and cajoling, Mike and Adrian (+ Adrian’s pal Adam) built a campfire circle last week for my birthday. And despite these hot summer nights, we made a roaring fire and put that circle to work!
Mike’s To-Do List…Part 7
Oh my, this spring-like weather has got us thinking about alllllll the stuff we need to do at the farm, like…
1. Revisit “Mike’s To-Do Lists…Parts 1-6.”
2. Prune trees in orchard.3. Plant new fruit trees that will grow well out here. (Mr. Wigley, who keeps the place lookin’ good, is suggesting apples, peaches, figs and plums.)
4. Finish tearing down old greenhouse/pool storage shed.
5. Call John the pool guy about a new filter.
6. Keep working on old barn. Paint it. Replace rusted metal roof panels. Replace more rotten wood. Burn those 40 pallets piled up in the stalls.
7. Meet with Buster to discuss grass planting/weed killing/fertilizing for all pastures.8. Meet with Ron to go over plans for new poolhouse.
9. Sweet-talk Ron into helping repair shower stall floor, door, tile in guest bath.
10. Call a plumber to replace toilet in same bath.
11. Meet with Shae re: pasture fencing.
12. Deal with seven dead pines behind the barn.
13. Clean up around the pond.
14. Clean up around the creek.
15. Clear the old walking/riding trails through the woods.
16. Buy a wheelbarrow, maybe two.
17. Paint the house exterior.18. Etc.
19. Etc.
20. Etc.
An oldie but a goodie.
