Just a quick recipe...

After Leena so graciously gave me some ideas on my last post requesting culinary advice, yesterday I had quite a little cooking spree. She recommended a kale pizza with italian sausage. On that idea, and not really in the mood for pizza, I went with a stir-fry.

Ingredients:
Two links italian sausage - I used awesome spicy-sweet-fennel from Brooklyn Fare that was in my freezer.
3-4 cloves garlic
Onions - I used a bag of fresh pearl onions that were about to die, cut in half.
1 lb kale, chopped. Separate stems from leafy parts.
1/2 bottle beer - I used Brooklyn Brewery Lager
1 can chickpeas, drained
Salt, pepper, cumin, whatever else you care for.

Brown the italian sausage on medium-high. Take out meat, leave browned bits and a bit of sausage fat in. Add in the onions, and season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of cumin. Let the onions caramelize as long as you're patient. I was patient, it paid off. If you're feeling fibrous, add the kale stems, and the garlic. Saute a minute and then add the beer. I'm not sure if I would add the stems again, because they never got tender. But let it boil, and let the beer reduce. Makes a great sauce because it pulls up all that browned sausage and onion goodness. Throw the sausage back in along with the chickpeas. If you're more patient than I am, let the chickpeas cook a bit. Mine tasted a bit too straight out of the can. Throw in the kale and toss for about a minute or two. I took mine out while the kale was still a bit underdone because the heat of everything helps cook, and I'd much rather have slightly raw than mushy kale.

All in all, my stir fry was a touch underseasoned. I would probably throw in a jalapeno with the garlic, or some red pepper flakes. But as of recent, I've been slightly heavy with the salt so I made sure not to overdo it. I also wasn't sure what direction the italian sausage was going to take it in, but it could probably use more cumin, and you could even throw some more indian spices in it if you wanted to take it in that direction. It would be great tossed with pasta, rice, quinoa, couscous, or any other grain out there.

It's also delicious with socca. David Lebovitz tweeted about Kalyn's Kitchen making socca yesterday. I had never heard of it before, but I had chickpea flour sitting in the pantry and I was intrigued, so I made it. (Who said Twitter was so bad? It's given me some culinary inspiration!) It's yummy and so easy.

I apologize for no pictures, but I'm lazy. Yes. It's been a productive/lazy week and I'm still bummed about the no job thing.