Kale with Penne

By midnitechef • August 30, 2011 • 0 Comments

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Author Notes: Being a FN junkie, Iron Chef is one of my favorite shows (both the original Japanese version and American version hosted by Alton Brown) and every so often I play Iron Chef in my kitchen (c’mon, like you haven’t!). There’s no one playing with me (except my furry friend Pepper, else I would look crazy blabbering on to myself whilst chopping veggies), although I would like to take on Chef Cat Cora someday. This was my Iron Chef night in my kitchen, battle Kale. - midnitechef

Serves 4

1 pound lean ground turkey
1 bunch fresh Kale, washed, cut into 1/2″ pieces, remove stems
1 cup diced red onion
1 large carrot, shredded
4 Roma tomatoes, diced smallish
1 slice thick bacon or a few thin slices pancetta, diced fine
sea salt and fresh black pepper
4 sage leaves, Julienne
15 ounces can crushed tomatoes
1 pound Penne (gluten-free as an option)
Pecorino cheese shavings for garnish

Brown the turkey with a little salt and pepper over medium heat, just until it’s cooked. Remove to a plate for now, you can drain it on paper towels if you like.
In a large skillet with a lid, turn the heat to low (to medium-low) to render the bacon. Take the little pieces out as they crisp up. Add the onion, stir it around for a minute or two while you raise the heat to medium then add the carrot, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook until the carrot gets a bit floppy, then add the sage, turkey, sauce and a tablespoon of water to the pan. Quickly cover the pan with the kale and the lid. You want to steam the kale for 5 minutes.
Once everybody is tender in the sauce, serve it over the cooked pasta, and don’t forget some cheese over top for a little salty bite. Substitute pasta for gluten-free pasta or brown rice.