After going to the Farmer’s Market last week and purchasing some beautiful Russian Kale, I needed to find a recipe in which this vegetable could star. Carlo suggested that I try this Kale, Sausage and Mushroom Stew recipe from the New York Times blog of Mark Bittman, who has written numerous cookbooks and of course, gallivanted around Spain eating and drinking with Gwyneth Paltrow and Mario Batali.
This stew was incredibly fast and easy to make. Basically you just brown the sausages and saute the kale, and then pour in some chicken stock. The end result tasted much more complex than what you would imagine with such simple preparation and cooking. If you like greens, you will definitely enjoy this recipe, and perhaps even some non-greens lover could be twisted into eating this recipe with the promise of sausage chunks.
The Kale, Sausage and Mushroom Stew made 4 servings, and the leftovers were easily reheated for lunch the next day. Each serving cost $1.88.
I found a few packets of fresh sausages on sale at the grocery store for $3 each and chose the Hot Italian variety. I definitely recommend browning the sausages in the pan until they are quite well done (perhaps too well done at first glance, but trust me) before putting them in the chicken stock with the kale because the browning adds a nice smoky flavor to the stew.
Carlo has a collection of different paprikas in the pantry since he loves Spanish food, so I used what Mark Bittman recommended: Piment??n de la vera
Just be sure not to get the smoked paprika in your eyes like I did–not so fun.
