Garlic-and-Greens Spaghetti

Garlic-and-Greens Spaghetti

I went to the farmers market the other day and they had one of my favorite greens, Kale.

I have always used Kale in soup because of its robust and strong flavor that could stand on its own in a soup but I had no idea where else I could use these greens in my cooking.

The Kale looked so fresh I decided to buy it anyway and figure out later what kind of summer meal I could make with the Kale.

When I got home I decided to check out the Food network website and began to search though the different recipes that included Kale. Of course the criteria  was that it had to be easy to make and of course affordable after all this site is called living single and eating well on two dollars a day and I wanted to stick to sprit of what I was promising when I made this blog.

It took a while but finally I came to a recipe that interested me.

I liked the recipe that was called garlic and greens spaghetti.

You know me well enough be now to know I had to change up the recipe to make it my way which I hope you do as well when you find something that I have suggested  you would like to try.

It does not hurt my feelings at all if you make it a little different than I did after all this is about you not about me.

I want to make your life a little better with good food and see you enjoy these meals on a very small budget.

I think we all can enjoy this recipe that I have slimmed down to make a bit easier and more affordable.

Here is the recipe:

Garlic-and-Greens Spaghetti

Ingredients

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced (in case you always wondered what part of the garlic is the cloves let me explain because I didn’t know either for a long time. The white bunch you buy is called a bulb the cloves are the little white individual pieces on the bulb)

4 tablespoons of olive oil (please don’t substitute here I will explain later)

1 medium onion, halved and sliced

Red pepper flakes, to taste

Sea salt

4 cups torn winter greens, such as kale,(if you prefer you can use collard greens, chard, escarole, mustard greens  or whatever green you enjoy eating)

½ box of spaghetti

1/4 cup grated Romano cheese

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Meanwhile, cook the garlic in the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and crisp, about 3 minutes. (Be careful not to over-brown the garlic or it will taste bitter.)

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the garlic pieces to a paper-towel-lined plate.

 Pour off all but 2 tablespoons oil into a small bowl to use as a dip for crusty bread ( that’s why it has to be olive oil.)

Now that you have removed the oil except for two tablespoons of it adds the red pepper flakes and onions to the pan.

 Cook, and stir until the onion is light brown, about 10 minutes. Season with 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt.

By now the water should be boiling and just before the onions are done add the Kale to the water and cook, uncovered, until just tender, about 2 minutes.

Using tongs remove the greens, shaking off the excess water; add them to the skillet with the onions (set the pot of water aside). Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes.

While the kale is cooking add the spaghetti  to the boiling water and cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes.

Remove  the pot of pasta and reserve about 1 cup cooking water just in case you need to add some more liquid to the pasta to keep it from clumping after you have drained and rinsed it.

 Transfer the pasta to a serving bowl. Add the cheese and toss.

Now toss the kale and garlic mixture together adding the cloves you removed earlier then pour. over the pasta  Make sure you serve it with some Italian or French bread on the side to dip in the left over garlic oil you put aside earlier.

 You are now ready to enjoy this wonderful meal.

Quick Pasta and Olive Oil

Here is a quick update about what I had for dinner tonight.
After writing this article I really wanted pasta with garlic.
So I did a quick meal. Nothing that would ever appear on The Food Network.
I had some birdsnest pasta that cooks in five minutes.
I put two broken up birdnests in a small bowl and pour water over it and put it in the microwave for five minutes.
Then in a small frying pan I poured some olive oil and put two tablespoons of chopped garlic from the dollar store that is already chopped and stored in a jar. 
I added a a tablespoon of chopped dried onions also from the dollar store and tossed in an Italian sausage that had rolled out of the freezer last night. I figured it wanted to be part of dinner tonight so I did just that by adding to the pan once I chopped it up.
After three minutes I removed the onions and garlic and added a little more olive oil and cooked the sausage for a couple more minutes.
Once the past was done I drained it and tossed it with the onion, garlic, sausage, and olive oil and then added some Parmesan cheese.Within six minutes of cooking the meal and cleaning the pots and pans I was ready to sit down to dinner.
I just wanted to share this quick meal in case that is all you have time for it was really good and it was filling.
Enjoy which ever one you make.