she cooks…he cleans

Outside it was still raining.  Still. Raining.  When I see the sunshine again, I am going to kiss it – it has been away far too long!  In the meantime, dinner is limited to what I can find in the recesses of the freezer.  Shrimp looks good!  What else do we have – lots and lots of kale.  I haven’t paired shrimp with kale before, but it sounded like a winning combination.

I have written before about how much I love the gluten-free pasta from Jovial.  I love everything about this company, from their organic, traditional products to their views on sustainable, small farming as the future of agriculture.  The egg tagliatelle used in this dish is a relatively new product, made from only organic brown rice flour and organic eggs.  Period.  It has all the taste and texture that you expect from egg pasta, and you can really taste the goodness in this simple preparation of shrimp, kale, and garlic.  I have had limited success in finding Jovial products in the local stores, but now you can order them on-line, directly from the Jovial website store.

This recipe is really simple and quick to put together – perfect for a weeknight dinner or for a rainy day when you’re running low on motivation.

Ingredients (2 generous servings):

• 1 pound of wild-caught shrimp (16-20 size), peeled and cleaned
• 6 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped fine
• 1 bunch of kale
• crushed red pepper flakes
• extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• ~1/3 cup vermouth (white wine or broth also okay)
• juice from 1/2 lemon
• butter (from pastured cows)
• Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
• 9 ounces of gluten-free pasta

Remove the tough spines/stem from the kale. (Fold the leaf in half lengthwise, then use a knife to cut the thick part of the spine away from the leaves.)  Stack the leaves together, roll them slightly, and slice the leaves crosswise into strips.  Wash the kale thoroughly in cold water, then spin dry or dry well with towels.

Rinse the shrimp with cold water and dry with towels.

In a saute pan over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter with a glug of EVOO (~1 tablespoon).  Add the chopped garlic and cook for about 1 minute.  Add the shrimp to the pan in a single layer, and allow to cook for about 1 minute on each side (use tongs to turn the shrimp to ensure they are cooked evenly). When cooked, remove shrimp to a bowl with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add the chopped kale to the saute pan with the garlic.  Shake in a generous amount of crushed red peppers and a sprinkling of kosher salt. Toss over medium-high heat until the kale is wilted and tender.  Add the vermouth, stir, and cook until the vermouth has mostly cooked off.  Add the shrimp back to the pan.  Stir in lemon juice, and another tablespoon of butter won’t hurt anything.  Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste.  Cover and keep warm.

Add the pasta to boiling water and cook according to package directions.  Drain, and add pasta to the shrimp and kale.  Toss until the pasta is well coated.  Serve hot and enjoy!

Rain, rain go away! But until it does, I’m staying in and eating shrimp with kale and listening to country music! First up is the latest from Willie Nelson, Let’s Face The Music and Dance. Willie just turned 80 and shows no sign of slowing down at all. Still performs almost every night, and keeps releasing great records. This one features ballads such as “Twilight Time”, rockabilly with “Matchbox”, and great country weepers such as “Shame On You”. Keep ’em coming Willie!

Steve Young might not have the star power of Willie, but it ain’t from lack of talent. His song “Seven Bridges Road” was a hit for The Eagles, and his version of “Lonesome, Onry and Mean” is on par with Waylon’s. Renegade Picker/No  Place to Fall collects his two great early records, and is a fine introduction to this outlaw country legend.