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Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Tasty Tuesdays...Orecchiette with Kale

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Welcome to Tasty Tuesdays!
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Well, after two weeks in a row of posting beef recipes, I am getting back to what I truly love - pasta!  Pasta is, hands down my favorite meal.  I would be perfectly content to eat pasta every single day.  This recipe is from the December 2010 issue of Cooking Light.  Click here for the original recipe.
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Ingredients:

- 8 ounces uncooked orecchiette pasta
- 5 kale, washed and torn into pieces { I used red kale }
- 2 slices center-cut bacon
- 1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped {I used the sun dried tomatoes I made here}
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 3 large garlic cloves, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
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1. Cook pasta in boiling water 8 minutes or until almost tender. Add kale, and cook 2 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid.
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2. While pasta cooks, cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat 4 minutes or until crisp. Remove bacon from pan with a slotted spoon; crumble and set aside. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add sun-dried tomatoes, crushed red pepper, and garlic to drippings in pan; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add pasta and kale, reserved 1/2 cup cooking liquid, black pepper, and salt to pan; toss to combine. Add bacon and lemon juice.  Stir to combine.  Top with freshly grated cheese and a dash of olive oil (optional).
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Although this wasn't the best pasta dish I have ever made, I still enjoyed it.  If I make it again I will leave out the red pepper flakes or add a smaller amount - my mouth was on fire!
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Now it's you turn.  What did you cook this week?
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{ Please remember to add a link in your post back to Tasty Tuesdays or the Tasty Tuesdays button which can be found on my sidebar - thanks! }
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25 comments:

  1. We grow Kale in our garden and I am always looking for new ways to fix it. Thanks for hosting again this week!

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  2. Georgeous looking dish! I admit that I've never had kale. I've heard it is extremely healthy for you though. Is it similar to spinach?

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  3. This looks amazing! I will be making this soon...thank you!

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  4. What a wonderful way to brighten up kale - especially with the chili. Beautiful dish!

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  5. I make something similar but always love to try someone else's recipe so this is terrific - it looks delicious and your blog is wondeful to peruse! Stop by and visit sometime, I'd love to hear from you! Jennifer jennsthreegraces

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  6. That looks like a great dinner.

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  7. Love anything with bacon! And, I like the size and shape of that pasta. I'm not sure I've seen it before.

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  8. I love the orecchiette pasta shape. Looks like a great dish!

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  9. I keep seeing kale recipes and haven't tried cooking with it. I am on my way to the store and I think I will be coming home with some.

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  10. Your pasta looks delicious as always, Alissa. Thanks for hosting... I finally posted a recipe so I could link up!

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  11. I have never cooked with kale before, this looks delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe.

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  12. Your pasta looks terrific! I wish I could find orecchiette in our local stores, I've tried substituting, it is not the same. Thanks for hosting.

    -Brenda

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  13. I've never cooked with kale or eaten it for that matter but I am inspired by your dish. I hear it is a super power veggie.

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  14. Ohhhh Alissa! I love this recipe! I am a HUGE kale fan and forget it pairs so well with pasta! I am so gonna make this one day when my youngest daughter has something else to do! ;) I am linking up a favorite childhood recipe for Savory English Minced Meat. All the best, Alex

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  15. Thanks for hosting! I showed off my Oscar Party treats! :) I love pasta too...could eat it for every single meal...like you!

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  16. Glad you posted this because I forgot about this recipe. I saw the recipe when the issue came out but I have yet to make it. It really looks and sounds great. I love kale and eat it quite often. I think I will add this to next week's menu.

    ~ Tracy

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  17. Hi Alissa! It's interesting how many people have not cooked with kale! I have a couple of recipes posted that use it but one of my favorite places to use it is in a Italian style vegie soup.
    The recipe that I am sharing today is my Banana Walnut Cookies. They taste even more special because I added cinnamon chips to the batter.
    This recipe is a great way to use old bananas.
    Thanks for hosting!

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  18. I love kale! I made turkey and wild rice soup with kale just this week. Sooooo good!

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  19. Kale scares me. I bought some organic kale once and even after I steamed it there were little bugs! My family is reluctant to eat it again :( Maybe I should try again, must book mark this recipe and hopefully "wow" them.

    Your photos make my mouth water/ Do you use any special lighting?

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  20. This looks delicious! I have never used this pasta before, but I do love kale. It is good for you too.

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  21. Your recipe looks delicious! While watching Modern Family last night, Mitchell stated that Kale is the new spinach!!! LOL

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  22. I've never been a fan of kale, but this looks like a recipe worth trying.

    - The Tablescaper

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  23. This recipe looks so delicious! I don't know if I have ever had kale but it sure looks like it will be worth trying!

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