Red Peruvian Pearl Peppers. The name was inviting. And this could be-ingredient clicked on the spot (I was in line at Whole Foods yesterday and saw the chickpea shells box on the front cap of the aisle, I had already grabbed the pearl peppers and cornichons on the salad bar and was still thinking what to cook with them, and yes! for a moment's revelation, that's a match). The pearls were pickled and sweet and plump in juice like those big capers in jars, and the color vitality was on top of my imagination in anticipation of the look of the dish. I knew that organically they would come together good with the kale liquid to cook in the shells, with addition of their leaves, plus the brine from the crumbled peppered feta I got to cream them all. I called my neighbor and she's stopping by later for a taste.
How easy to do this dish: (1) vigorously boil the kales leaves-lightly salted water together in a tall pot, running it down to maximum maceration until greening the liquid (fifteen minutes), and then drop the pasta shells - cook for an additional 6 minutes then shut off heat, keeping lid on for three more minutes for residual al dente-ing; afterwards, drain all in colander; (2) using the same pot, melt a quarter of a stick of butter in medium low and add the pearl peppers with some of its juice, stir in, when bubbling, turn off; (3) quickly fold in the cooked chickpea shells and kale leaves in the pot and incorporate the butter-pepper sauce deeply, and while everything's still hot, add the crumbled feta through the pasta to cream itself and flavor it ad hoc of salt and pepper; (4) that's it; spoon out and serve on a pretty floral plate.
Every Saturday my ohana-landlord leaves outside my door a cooler filled with home-farm vegetables and fruits in excess of what her clan gives her weekly. And of course I make the most of them (the kale from this dish was from her), and that's why she's always happy to share. She loves pastries and inventive drinks and hand-written notecards, and when it's my turn to share, a cute box will be waiting to surprise her at her door; always we exchange gifts. I got some raspberries from Whole and alternative milks, my usual, and I think that's what I'll do for her this afternoon: a cold "bubble (boba) tea" made of vanilla oat and cashew milks immersing the berries in and steeping peach-honey tea to sweeten it up, and the berries in substitute for tapiocas, will add some ice. I will put a plumeria flower on tea jar for her with a thank you card drawing in a red heart. And kiss the note.
👍🏽
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