Nourishing Balance Blog

Hippie Farfalle with Pine Nuts, Currants, and Kale

Here is a tasty recipe that was passed along to me, originally from the website, “Cookstr". Farfalle is Italian for “butterfly,” and refers to the pasta shape sometimes called bow tie noodles in English. You can substitute this for whole grain penne, to add more fiber and bulk.

Adapted from the website “Cookstr”:    http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/hippie-farfalle-with-pine-nuts-currants-and-kale

Yield: Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste
• 1 pound dried penne
  1/2 cup dried currants
• 1 bunch (1 pound) kale, preferably organically grown
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
• Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
  

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the penne, along with about 1 Tbsp of salt. Cook until the pasta is just tender, about 10 minutes, then drain it through a large strainer or a colander, saving a cup of the cooking water to pour over the dried currants. Spread the drained penne out on a lightly oiled baking sheet and allow to cool for a few minutes while you prepare the other ingredients. The pasta can be prepared ahead up to this point and finished later.

2. In a small bowl, pour the reserved cup of pasta water over the dried currants; let them stand in the water to soften while you prepare the other ingredients.
   
3. Cut the kale into a chiffonade. Roll the leaves into a cigar-like bundle, and with a large, sharp knife cut across the bundle in a rocking motion to produce ribbons about 1/8 inch wide.
   

4. Put the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat and cook the pine nuts in the oil until they are fragrant and just beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. (Watch closely; pine nuts burn quickly.) Add the sliced garlic and sauté until it is bubbling hot but not browned. Add the kale and sauté for 2 minutes, or until it is wilted.
   
5. Drain the currants and add them to the sautéed kale mixture, then toss the hot greens with the cooked pasta, season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve, passing the grated Parmesan separately.