Shrimp and Kale Pasta – Bumpkin
Townie asked me before her vacation if I had shrimp. I said, “Of course!”. I get going on this totally delicious looking recipe, everything is cooking, water is boiling for shrimp. I open freezer to get shrimp to add to this really yummy dish only to discover the pinkish bag in the freezer that I assumed was shrimp was really salmon! FOUL! I ended up using a can of chicken in place of the shrimp and it was a really amazingly tasty meal anyway. I will make it again and probably post my modifications on another day.
But, onto shrimp! Since Townie posted shrimp before she left, I was on base to post something too. I bought a bag of shrimp after dropping the kiddos at day camp yesterday. It was even on sale! SCORE! Today was a busy day and I wasnt in the mood for anything inparticular so out came that pinkish bag, of shrimp this time, for an easy dinner. I made very few modifications to the original recipe I found. I had a bunch of kale in the fridge about to go so it needed used.
Shrimp and Kale Pasta
adapted from Sarah’s Cucina Bella
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large leek, white parts, chopped
2 t chopped garlic
1 bunch kale, leaves separated and chopped (save stems for stock or discard)
1 lb large raw, deveined shrimp, rinsed
2/3 cup white wine
1 small lemon juiced
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tbsp butter
1 cup freshly grated Parmesano Reggiano cheese
1 lb pasta (I used linguine), cooked and 1 ladle water reserved
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks and garlic. Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened, lightly browning and shrinking in mass.
Add the shrimp and cook for 2-3 minutes until just turning pink and opaque. Stir.
Add the kale, wine and lemon juice. Stir well. Salt and pepper to taste. Let cook without disturbing for 5-7 minutes until the kale begins to wilt. Add the butter and one ladle of pasta water. Stir well. Cook until reduced, another 3-5 minutes.
Toss the pasta with the kale and shrimp mixture. Add the Romano and toss again.
I topped mine with crushed red pepper flakes to give it a punch. ENJOY!
