Greens From The Garden

There is no excuse. Every year I plant a garden and every year I forget how happily robust good kale can grow. This year I think I put in even more than usual and we are over grown with leafy greens to eat, share with the birds, and offer as a treat to the neighboring cattle.
For James on a somewhat chilly August evening I started on a thick kale filled stew. First I sautéed onions and garlic in olive oil. Then I added in a container of flavorful white beans I'd pulled from our freezer. Next I poured in rounds of chicken Italian sausage (browned in a skillet), mountains of chopped kale from our garden, bay leaves, chopped rosemary, chili flakes, S&P, peeled chopped carrots and about 1 quart of water. Everything simmered together for around 30 minutes until the fresh kale was sweet and tender.
To make our evening stew extra hearty, and to use up the odds and ends of pasta in our pantry I added in some cooked noodles and topped our stew with a dollop of pesto (a lettuce and basil combo made from out garden and stored in the freezer) and shredded cheese.
Garden fresh Italian style.