Conquering Kale with Molly (Braised Kale with Spaghetti and Chorizo)

Last night was the first time I tried kale.  Ever.  And, holy shit, I loved it.  Absolutely loved it.  I have one person to thank for my  new found appreciation for kale: Molly Wizenberg.  This past week, while I was traveling from Spokane to Seattle, I picked up a copy of bon appettit in the airport.  On page 74, Molly has a lovely article called, "how I learned to love kale."  She admits, she didn't like it at first.  It grew on her. 

 

Not me.  I loved kale straight out of the gate.  Probably because I started with Molly's recipe, which calls for lacinato kale (also commonly called Tuscan, dinosaur, black kale). 

Maybe I loved this kale dish because I added two links of chorizo to the pan?  I used Niman Ranch chorizo, available at Whole Foods.  You can find it on sale for $4.99, usually.

The recipe is easy.  Basically, you cook the sausage, brown chopped onions with olive oil, add garlic, add kale and then braise the kale for about twenty minutes.  I stirred the kale a few times, to lift the brown flavor bits from the pan, and move the onions and sausage around in the pan.  Molly's recipe calls for 3 tablespoons of olive oil.  I only used two tablespoons because the sausage added some fat, so keep that in mind if you are adding chorizo.  The lemon was important, as were the onions.  Don't skip them.  The onions add texture and flavor and the lemon brightens the heaviness of the dish.  I would also encourage you to use real parmesan reggiano or grana padano.

I cooked the spaghetti for less time, adding it to the pan when it still need a few minutes to cook.  This allowed the kale, sausage, onions, and garlic, to flavor the spaghetti without overcooking the pasta.  After eating this for dinner, I feel comfortable saying that this dish could stand on its own without the chorizo. 

I can't believe it: I love kale. Next week, I'm making Melted Kale with Farro by Dan Barber.  That dude knows how to cook, so it should be a slam dunk.