Pasta with sausage, cavolo nero and mushrooms
adapted from a David Latt for the New York Times recipe
1 small bunch of cavolo nero, washed and ribs removed, torn into pieces; 4 Italian sausages; 200g brown mushrooms*, sliced; 4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped; 4 shallots, peeled and finely chopped; 1 tbsp of olive oil; 2 cups of chicken stock; 1 tbsp butter; salt and coarsely ground black pepper; 1/2 cup of Parmesan; 500g dried pasta (shape of your choice)*
Squeeze sausages out of their casings and sauté in a hot pan with olive oil until slightly browned. Set aside. Lightly brown the cavolo nero in olive oil and set aside. Add the
mushrooms, shallots and garlic to the pan and sauté until lightly browned. Turn down the heat to medium, return the kale and sausage to the pan along with the stock and butter. Cook for 15 minutes until the liquid is reduced by half.
Taste and adjust seasoning. Add in pasta that has been cooked al dente in water that tastes like the sea and toss to coat in the sauce.
Serve with Parmesan and a glass of Australian Pinot Noir (from Mornington Peninsular, Yarra Valley, Adelaide Hills or Tasmania).
* for an easy mid-week meal, use ingredients listed, but for something fancy consider sourcing some fresh porcini and using fresh papardelle pasta
(Serves 5+)