Cookbook # 30 - Quick and Easy Recipes From the New York Times
I have multiple cookbooks by Mark Bittman, and many of his recipes are very, very good. His Pasta With Potatoes and Sausage With Grape recipes are among my go-tos. However, he does have his share of misses, and unfortunately Kale, Sausage, and Mushroom Stew from Quick and Easy Recipes From the New York Times (2007) was among them. The flavor profile wasn’t bad, but it felt like something was missing. I think it would’ve been better either with a starch added to the soup itself—beans or orzo, maybe—or made with much less broth as a sauce to serve over pasta with cheese.
Kale, Sausage, and Mushroom Stew
1 T extra virgin olive oil
1 lb Italian sausage, sweet or hot, cut into 1-inch or smaller pieces
1 lb kale, leaves stripped from stems
½ mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
1 T roughly chopped garlic
1 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 c stock or water
Put the olive oil in large, deep skillet or casserole over medium-high heat; a minute later, add the sausage and cook without stirring until the sausage browns well on one side, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, chop the stems of the kale into about 1/2-inch lengths and shred the leaves.
Stir the sausage and let it brown a bit more. Remove it with a slotted spoon (don’t worry if it isn’t cooked through). Cook the mushrooms in the remaining fat with the heat still on medium-high, stirring occasionally until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep warm.
Add the kale stems and cook, stirring frequently, until they begin to brown, 3 or 4 minutes. Turn the heat to medium and add the garlic, hot pepper, kale leaves, salt, and pepper; stir and cook for about 1 minute. Return the sausage to the pan and add the stock or water. Raise the heat to high and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add salt and pepper to taste and ladle into bowls, topping with the reserved mushrooms.