Quick Sausage, Kale and Crouton Saute

A lot of folks know her blog. Deb Perrelman from Smitten Kitchen stops by Good Day to make a quick family meal.
 

Quick Sausage, Kale and Crouton Saute

There's always been a completely pointless divide between people for whom cooking is a bother and people who luxuriate in the kitchen, who find it enjoyable after a long day even to do crazy things like crank out pastait's their escape. On one side, there are 18-minute meals, 4-ingredient fixes, ingredient delivery services, and cookbooks devoted to meals you can make with supermarket rotisserie chicken; and on the other is basically every other cookbook, ever. But as for meand maybe most of youI'm a cook with no island. I (clearly) love it, but I often need just to get it done. I know that if I'm tired enough I can always order something (a trade-off for living in a crowded space within a bigger crowded space), but what I really want (and, I don't know, doesn't everyone, really?) most days are meals that taste special, that we can eagerly anticipate, but that we can prepare in a reasonable amount of timei.e., before two hangry children have melted down into the floor and must be stepped over to reach the Microplane grater, or before two hangry adults are snipping at each other because the children need to go to bed soon and nobody has eaten, not that my (clearly) perfect life ever resembles that.

One of my longtime favorites from this never-big-enough category comes from Jacques Pépin, a 6-minute sauté of chorizo, asparagus, almonds, and croutons to which I also add beans. This new recipe is the next chapter. Italian sausages are much easier for us to get, and so is, realistically, kale, especially the washed, trimmed, and ready-for-salad variety. Because we are starting with fresh sausage, it takes longer than 6 minutes but not much. Make this just before you are ready to eat, because it comes together quickly.

Olive oil
2 cups (60 grams) 1-inch cubes of sturdy white bread (such as sourdough, ciabatta)
½ pound (225 grams) fresh sweet Italian sausages, casings removed
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
¾  cup (200 grams) cooked white beans (about half a 15.5-ounce can)
2 big handfuls (or more, to taste) torn curly kale leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper and
red pepper flakes, to taste
2 tablespoons (30ml) red wine vinegar
Grated Parmesan or Pecorino (optional)

Heat two glugs of oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bread cubes and toast, stirring, until lightly browned and mostly crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Push the croutons aside and add another glug to the pan, then the garlic and sausage meat. Cook, breaking up sausage into small bits, until browned all over. Add the greens and cook until they begin to wilt, then add the beans and warm through. Season well with salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Add vinegar to the pan and use it to scrape up any stuck bits. Scrape the sauté into bowls, finish with cheese if desired, and inhale.

LINK: smittenkitchen.com