My own mission impossible

There are times when I suspect there must have been a mix-up at the hospital when my kids were born, in fact three separate mix-ups. I realize that this seems far-fetched, but consider my grounds for such suspicion: gastronomically speaking, there is compelling evidence that these children cannot genetically be mine. Firstly, my daughter does not like chocolate cake (in fact, this may indicate that she comes from alien stock, as it is simply not human to dislike chocolate cake). No child that emanated from me and my husband can NOT like chocolate anything, let alone chocolate cake. After all, my husband has spent a lifetime making sure to order chocolate fudge cake whenever it appears on a menu. Secondly, my oldest son doesn't like melted cheese on top of things. I know. Ridiculous. Particularly since unmelted cheese is fine, as is melted cheese IN things, such as grilled cheese sandwich. Just not on TOP of things. He is happy to slurp up three or four servings of your delicious pasta bake, but will meticulously scrape all evidence of toasty melted deliciousousness from the top first, with a look of indignant distaste on his face. Sigh.

Perhaps the most anomalous of the Farrar offspring though, is my youngest son, who doesn't like... wait for it.... pasta. WHAT? Firstly, pasta is a blank canvas for all sorts of delectable sauciness, and does not have a taste of its own, well not really. Secondly, this zero-tolerance policy towards pasta seems like a recipe for starvation in a house where pasta is indubitably a staple food and always has been. I have therefore made it my culinary mission to keep trying different pasta recipes. Not, as you might surmise, as a form of sadistic torture for the poor boy, but in the hope that at some point, a huge lightbulb will appear above his head, as he chews on some delicious morsel, and he will, at this moment, realize the error of his pasta-hating ways, break into a huge grin, and of course express extreme gratitude to his long-suffering but perseverant mother.

The latest dish on this culinary mission came from Giada de Laurentiis. From what I can tell from her cooking shows on TV and her books, Giada lives a perfect life. Her kitchen looks spotlessly clean even when she is in the middle of preparing a complex dish, she manages to keep her lipstick flawless whilst eating a bowl of spaghetti AND I have never once witnessed her adorable offspring turn down what she cooks with a whiny cry of "BUT I DON'T LIKE PASTA". I am sure such behavior just wouldn't happen in Giada's house.

I have to confess that the light bulb moment didn't happen this time round. Beloved, but misguided, youngest son, ate everything surrounding the pasta, but managed to leave a sizeable pile of denuded farfalle on his plate. Oh well, the mission continues.... On the plus side though, this is a dish which the remaining four members of the family found delicious, and in my house, even if not in Giada's, four out of five is reason for celebration (and a blog post).

Farfalle with Sausage and Kale
Serves 6

3 TBSP olive oil
1 lb uncooked Italian sausage, casings removed (I used Trader Joe's Italian chicken sausage)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 lb cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes with juice
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 bunch kale, largest stems removed, and chopped (about 4 cups)
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 lb farfalle pasta
Grated parmesan to serve

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.
2. In a large heavy pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add sausage and cook until golden, breaking up sausage. Remove from pan with slotted spoon and set aside. Add onion and garlic to same pan and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and continue to cook until mushrooms and onion start to brown (a further 5 minutes or so). Add canned tomatoes with juice and stir to get browned bits off base of pan. Add salt, pepper and sausage back to pan,
3. Meanwhile blanch the kale in the boiling water for 5 minutes and then remove from the water with a skimmer or sieve. Add kale directly to the sausage mixture. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered for 10 minutes. Add cream and stir to combine, then remove pan from the heat.
4. While the sauce is simmering, add farfalle to the water the kale was in. Cook until desired firmness is reached, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta and add to sauce, tossing to combine.
5. Serve with parmesan sprinkled on top.