Spicy Orecchiette with Chicken Sausage and Kale

Ingredients

• 8 oz. orecchiette
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 12 oz. chicken sausage
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 oz. chopped kale
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 pinch salt
• Freshly cracked pepper to taste

Directions

1. Boil the orecchiette as directed on the package. Just before you drain it, scoop out about 1/3 cup of the cloudy cooking water and set it aside.
2. As the pasta cooks, get the rest going. Cut the chicken sausage into medallions.
3. Pour the olive oil into a large pot and add the chicken sausage. Cook over medium heat, stirring now and then, until the sausage starts to take on color, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the minced garlic and butter to the sausage in the pot, and cook for one more minute, stirring as it sizzles.
5. Add the chopped kale along with the saved pasta water. Lower the heat to medium-low, then cook and stir until the kale softens and wilts, about 2-3 minutes. As you stir, scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot with your spoon.
6. Take the pot off the heat and fold in the drained, cooked orecchiette. If the mixture is giving off a lot of steam, let it sit for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally so the steam can escape. The goal is for the Parmesan to cling to the pasta rather than melt into it.
7. When the pasta and kale are hot but no longer steaming hard, stir in the grated Parmesan, crushed red pepper, salt, and about 15-20 turns of a pepper mill. Mix everything together, taste, and add more salt if it needs it. Serve warm.