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Orecchiette with Kale and Ground Turkey

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Hello darlings! Today I have a lovely guest post for you by my friend Hillary from the NYC-based food blog, Hill Reeves. She’s sharing a scrumptious sounding orecchiette with kale and ground turkey recipe, which I think looks perfect for a dinner party, or a romantic dinner for two, with leftovers for lunch (tasty and practical). Enjoy!

Oricchette Pasta with Kale and Ground Turkey - A versatile pasta recipe perfect for romantic dinners, dinner parties, or lunch at the office! Recipe on GoodieGodmother.com

Hello Goodie Godmother-­ers! My name is Hillary and I’m the blogger behind Hill Reeves. I write about cooking and baking from my tiny kitchen in New York City as well as the foodie adventures I take around the world. As a long­time fan of Mary’s, I can’t tell you how psyched I am to guest post today. Truly, I’m not worthy. I mean, have you seen Mary’s perfect macarons? Let’s just say that the last (and only and final) time I attempted macarons, even my dogs weren’t interested.

Oricchette Pasta with Kale and Ground Turkey - A versatile pasta recipe perfect for romantic dinners, dinner parties, or lunch at the office! Recipe on GoodieGodmother.com

As for things I can cook, today I have some orecchiette for you. When I used to live on the Upper West Side, there was a restaurant on the block that me and my boyfriend would visit way too often. They had Italian sandwiches that hit the spot like nothing else along with spumoni ice cream cake (praise hands). But my favorite dish was a classic handmade orecchiette with broccoli rabe and crumbled Italian pork sausage.

Oricchette Pasta with Kale and Ground Turkey - A versatile pasta recipe perfect for romantic dinners, dinner parties, or lunch at the office! Recipe on GoodieGodmother.com

Orecchiette has occupied a special place in my heart ever since, plus I love the scene in Gabrielle Hamilton’s Blood, Bones and Butter about making the ear­-shaped pasta by hand in Italy. If you haven’t read this chef’s memoir, hop to it­­ – you’ll start making handmade pasta weekly and find yourself spouting lines like “Americans are far too obsessed with refrigeration.” You’ll sound European and smart, promise.

Oricchette Pasta with Kale and Ground Turkey - A versatile pasta recipe perfect for romantic dinners, dinner parties, or lunch at the office! Recipe on GoodieGodmother.com

Anyway, I have a guide to making the pasta over on Hill Reeves that only requires three ingredients… and your entire Sunday. If you have podcasts lined up, though, or a great VH1 Divas playlist handy, the time flies. Once you have the pasta made, this recipe takes minutes to whip up. I make it in big batches and bring it for my lunch at work since, let’s face it, Mason jar salads really do not cut it. I’m a growing girl.

Oricchette Pasta with Kale and Ground Turkey - A versatile pasta recipe perfect for romantic dinners, dinner parties, or lunch at the office! Recipe on GoodieGodmother.com

Hope you enjoy and thanks again, Mary, for having me visit. And for the gift of your eggnog macarons to the world. Bless.

Oricchette Pasta with Kale and Ground Turkey - A versatile pasta recipe perfect for romantic dinners, dinner parties, or lunch at the office! Recipe on GoodieGodmother.com

Oricchette Pasta with Kale and Ground Turkey - A versatile pasta recipe perfect for romantic dinners, dinner parties, or lunch at the office! Recipe on GoodieGodmother.com

Orecchiette with Kale and Ground Turkey

Yield: 4 -6 servings

Ingredients

  • 6 cups water
  • 1 bunch kale, any variety
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for finishing
  • 1 lb ground turkey
  • salt, pepper
  • 1 small yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 lb orecchiette
  • 1 cup ⁄2 reserved pasta water
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 3 cup ⁄4 grated parmesan

Instructions

  1. Bring about 6 cups of water to boil in a large stock pot.
  2. Meanwhile, remove ribs from kale and chop leaves coarsely. Rinse and dry kale.
  3. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. When hot, add in turkey. Season well with salt and pepper and cook to brown, breaking up pieces with a wooden
  4. spoon as it cooks. Once all turkey is browned, remove from pan with slotted spoon and
  5. set aside. Then, add in onion and cook until translucent.
  6. Add pasta to boiling water along with a few big pinches of salt. Let cook for about 7 minutes, then promptly pour pasta and water into a colander, reserving about 1⁄2 cup
  7. water. Set pasta aside.
  8. Add kale to onion along with a few pinches of salt and red pepper flakes. As kale heats up, also add in a splash or two of the pasta water to help kale wilt. Once kale is tender (about 5 minutes), add back in turkey and pasta to kale mixture. Stir to combine. Cover for a minute or two to allow mixture to cook down a bit together.
  9. Remove lid, turn off heat, and season with plenty of freshly ground pepper. Transfer to serving bowls and top with grated parmesan as desired.

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Hillary Reeves

First and foremost, Hillary Reeves will defend mayonnaise as the best condiment until her dying day. As the voice behind Hill Reeves, a blog about cooking in New York City and traveling the world, she’s developed over 100 recipes, from Korean stews to upside-down cupcakes. She works full-time as the Marketing Manager at Chicory, a web app that turns recipes into reality. You can find her work in publications like Food52, Food Network Magazine and Good Housekeeping.

Oricchette Pasta with Kale and Ground Turkey - A versatile pasta recipe perfect for romantic dinners, dinner parties, or lunch at the office! Recipe on GoodieGodmother.com

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