Linguini with Breadcrumbs and Kale by Hotplate Gourmet
Hotplate Gourmet made her ambitions very clear -- this linguini dish is to be a respectable weeknight dinner, something easy but good. Well, it's more than that -- we think it's terrific. Like an old Italian nonna, Hotplate Gourmet has you use the pasta water to help cook the kale and has you add breadcrumbs to the kale to fortify the pasta. You saute the breadcrumbs in oil, then add garlic and kale, and not too much of either. The garlic gently scents the kale and the greens add substance and sweetness, without making you feeling like you're eating kale for the sake of eating kale! You pull the dish together with some fresh olive oil and grated parmesan and you have a wonderful fall dinner. Next time we make this, we'll set aside the breadcrumbs after they've been toasted and add them back to the pan once the kale has been cooked. Their crunch is so great, you don't want to risk having them get soggy! - A&M
Recipe Slideshow
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...all the oil disappears! The breadcrumbs get golden quickly -- be sure to watch them to avoid burning.
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While Merrill browned the breadcrumbs, Amanda chopped the kale into managable pieces.
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After adding the kale to the pasta, we added a bit more olive oil, and seasoned.
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5 Comments on A Tribute to Woody (Homemade Ginger Ale Float):
Why bother peeling ginger? Many people here in Japan don't do it at all. Maybe the ginger is fresher here?
Why peel the ginger with a spoon and not a good, small paring knife with a nicely sharpened edge? I see now that your spoon has a large handle. My sterling dessert spoons and tea spoons have a fairly sharp edge but they are so awkward to hold when peeling, plus, they're not nearly as sharp as a knife. I find that a paring knife works so well, so I'm mystified as to the advantage of using a spoon. (I get a week's supply of very fresh ginger here for about $.30 - .35, so cost certainly can't be the reason . . . . . ) Thank you. ;o)
Kristen is the Senior Editor of food52.
added 11 months agoHi AJ -- I actually used to say exactly the same thing! I'd tried to get behind the spoon technique but found it awkward. I also just preferred the meditative process of meticulously peeling around every crevice and nub with a paring knife.
But after watching A&M closely and trying again, choking up on the spoon as Amanda does in slide #4 and scraping backward toward myself, I've really come around. I like that a thin, papery layer of skin peels off readily with a spoon, instead of being carved out with a knife.
But really, I don't think there's a right and wrong method -- it's whatever works best for you!
Thanks, Kristen. I notice that Amanda is using a spoon with a broad handle. After all of the helpful responses came in on foodpickle on this topic, I went and played with the technique again, using a thick-handled toddler spoon, and scraping away from me (as demonstrated in a video on YouTube, posted by Whole Foods), in the direction of the grain of the ginger root. It's much easier in one direction, than in the other! It actually worked really well, and was quite easy. I generally don't pick up an implement of any kind if I already have one in my hand that's will do the job at hand just as well. It's a matter of efficiency. So I am not likely to go digging into my drawer, to get a spoon out just for this. I will however much appreciate knowing this method next time I'm at a ski or other vacation rental without a good knife. (I never check luggage, and TSA doesn't let you bring knives on board, no matter how small.) I'll post this over on foodpickle, too. And sometime in the not too distant future, when time, which has been unusually scarce for the past few months, permits, I'll post a photo of the spoon I used to try it, as well, as there's an amusing story behind it. ;o)
What a fun and delicious looking summer treat. Yum!
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