Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Kale and Lemon

Hunger strikes, your wallet is slim and your patience is running low - who can you turn to? Meet Pasta. A great sort of lazy-night kind of dining. Easy to prep, inexpensive, extremely versatile, and heck - plenty of fun shapes and colors to choose from. Last night was one of those kinds of nights in the Gaudet-Sayre household. I hadn't made much in tips from the day at the cafe, was tired, but still wanted to mess around in the kitchen once I got home. I picked up a little bundle of kale and a sampling of Merlot-soaked Sartori Bellavitano cheese (now a favorite!) from my local Whole Foods and trekked home to match them with their new mates - whole wheat spaghetti (49 cents at Trader Joe's!), olive oil, garlic and lemon juice. The result - a beautifully simple, fragrant, delicious dinner in about 10 minutes time.

As long as you have pasta, olive oil, garlic and some salt on pepper on hand (and maybe a good parm), you can't go hungry. It may not sound extravagant, but something so simple can yield unexpectedly pleasing sensations to the taste buds. I've found that "less is more" often rings quite true in the kitchen. It was a great dish. Light, a little salty, a little crunchy and everything tasted as it should - no masking of flavors. And the lemon - brilliant. Found it really complimented the otherwise bitter kale, and really rounded out the meal quite nicely. Freshly grated cheese, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a little bit of freshly ground pepper, served with a side of salad - we were completely content after wards and I even hummed my way through the dishes.

Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Kale and Lemon

Yields 2-4 servings

Ingredients

- Half package of Whole Wheat Spaghetti
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (plus more for tossing)
- lemon juice from half a lemon
- 3-4 medium-sized stalks kale, coarsely chopped
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- hard cheese for grating on top (optional)


While waiting for your pasta water to boil, warm the olive oil over low to medium-low heat in a skillet (big enough to fit the chopped kale).
Add minced garlic and let cook, but not burn.
Add pasta to water.
Chop kale and add to the olive oil and garlic. Wilt, but do not overcook as you want to keep it's crunchy texture somewhat alive.
Once the spaghetti is cooked to your liking, strain, run through cool water and put back to keep warm. Combine the kale and garlic mixture and toss. Add lemon, salt, pepper and olive oil to taste.

Serve with freshly grated cheese on top, or a sprinkling of breadcrumbs. Great for a crowd, or a lazy-night's supper.