Carrot, Kale and Tomato
Tagliatelle
Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive
oil
1 medium shallot, diced1 1/2 cups carrots, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 oz.), drained
4 oz. tagliatelle pasta
2 cups kale leaves, chopped
1/2 cup white cannellini beans
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 tablespoons capers
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
Preparation
Bring a pot of water to boil and cook pasta, timed to
it's directions. Drain and put aside.
In a large pan, heat the olive oil over a low flame. Add shallot and sautee until soft, about two minutes.
Add the chopped carrot, oregano, minced garlic, red
pepper flakes and cook until lightly browned, about five
minutes.
Add the white wine, balsamic vinegar and drained diced
tomatoes. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
While this is cooking, lightly toast pine nuts in a
empty pan. Watch carefully and take off before they brown as they will continue
cooking.
Stir in the chopped kale and it will wilt down in
about 1-2 minutes. Add the pasta, cannellini beans, toasted pine nuts, capers
and any other herbs (chives, parsley, Italian mix, etc.)
You can season with salt and pepper, to taste, and add
grated Parmesan cheese which is optional.
My Notes
* I used fresh pasta which cooked in just minute . I cut the pasta
into 5-6 inch strands so it would stir better in the pan and be easier to
eat.
* I used grated carrot, not chopped. Instead of using red pepper
flakes, I finely diced a scotch bonnet type pepper, which was quite small but
packed punch. If making again, I would use just a tiny bit of this type of
pepper. I used fresh tomato since it was seasonal. I used a rose wine that I
already had opened and I used a larger caper than I normally have on hand. (I
usually buy the very small ones. For whatever reason, the caper I had on hand
was about the size of a garden pea.)
* I think you can play very loose with this recipe. Add more
pasta, carrot, beans, kale, etc. Play with varied herb flavors. Add a protein
like chicken or tofu. Use fettuccine or linguine. Brown rice
variants.
* There were various components that shined through: the tang of the balsamic vinegar, the brine of the caper, the heat of the
pepper. It was an interesting and flavorful melding.
* I used a chiffonade cut on the kale. I used a sturdier large
leaf kale and removed the rib. You could easily use spinach, baby kale, maybe
even broccolini rabe.
