Kale and Sausage Penne with Lemon Cream Sauce

We have some friends and relatives over for roasted crab dinner and one of them brings us a present of fresh lemons, rosemary, and wine in a small crate, beautifully presented.  We use the rosemary when we make chicken stock a few days later and think about what we might make with the lemons.  We decide on a recipe from Saveur, slightly tweaked over time:  Kale and Sausage Penne with Lemon Cream Sauce.

Kale and sausage penne with lemon cream sauce

Our inspiration

We cook a little over a pound of hot Italian sausage in the microwave for about 4 minutes, until it is still lightly raw, periodically breaking it up with a wooden spoon.  While the sausage is cooking, we chop an onion and a few cloves of garlic, add some red pepper flakes, wash two bunches of kale and tear the leaves into small pieces, juice and zest several of the [gifted] lemons, and grate about 1/2 cup of Gran Padana cheese.

 Ingredients

Onion/garlic/red pepper, kale, lemon/Parmesan, sausage

We cook the onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes in olive oil for about ten minutes, until golden brown, add the sausage and cook another fifteen minutes or so, continuing to break up the sausage with a wooden spoon and a potato masher.

 Onion/garlic/red pepper flakes, sausage added

Next, we add the kale and cook for a about 3 minutes, until wilted, then add two cups of half and half, cooking for a few minutes, finish with the Gran Padana and lemon juice and zest, season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper, and keep warm as the penne pasta is cooked.

 Add kale, cook until wilted

With lemon juice, zest, and cheese

When the penne is al dente, we add it to the dish, cook a few minutes, and serve.

Penne goes in

Ready to eat

Now, we just have to wait a few more weeks for our lemon tree to produce some fresh lemons to inspire us to try another lemon-themed dish.

More lemons soon