Pics and Noodles as Promised

DSC_0018.NEF, originally uploaded by CaitKP.

This is what became of the noodles that got nixed from the miso soup a few days ago. They met up with the kale that had been idling in the fridge for about a week, and turned into an NY Times recipe I'd been eyeing for some time.

As usual I was missing a few ingredients, but I think it came out pretty well:

1 bunch kale (oh, alright: 3/4 lb -ish)
1 hunk of gruyere chopped into 1/2" cubes
1/2 a lemon
3/4 lb soba noodles--maybe a little less
1/2 tsp dried sage leaves (fresh would be better if you have it, I didn't)
1 onion, chopped,
2 green onions chopped (again, if you look at the original recipe it suggests 2 leeks--I have no doubt 2 leeks would be better, but all I had was an onion and green onions)
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper

1. Begin heating a large pot of water. Meanwhile, heat the butter and oil in a large, heavy nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion(or leeks) and sage, and cook, stirring often, until they begin to soften, about three minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, and continue to cook, stirring often, until the onions/leeks are tender, about five minutes. Remove from the heat.

2. When the water comes to a boil, add a generous spoonful of salt and the kale. Boil for four minutes, until tender but still bright. Using a slotted spoon or a skimmer, transfer to the pan with the onions/leeks and stir together. Keep warm over low heat.

3. Bring the water back to a boil, and add the pasta. Cook al dente (5 minutes for soba). When the pasta is al dente, add 1/2 cup of the cooking water to the pan with the kale and leeks/onions, then drain the pasta and toss in the pan or in a warm pasta bowl with the onions/leeks, kale and the cheese, and a squirt of lemon juice (about 1/4 lemon should do it, you can add more later if need be). Serve at once with freshly ground pepper.

There is no lemon in the original recipe--but to me lemon and kale (especially when paired with a chicken-ish herb like sage) are a match made in heaven. The original recipe also recommend fresh parmesan. I didn't have any, and Danish blue cheese seemed like overkill, so I skipped that, added a little more gruyere, and plenty of pepper. Its possible that with the parm you wouldn't need the lemon. Garlic is a thought too. Feel free to experiment.