Bucatini with Sausage & Kale

October approaches and the light changes — a softening, a golden quality that makes everything look like a memory even while it's happening. Wrote in the cookbook every night. I've hit a stride. Mama's sweet potato casserole led to Thanksgiving 1994 (the year Darnell brought his first girlfriend and Miss Ernestine asked, within five minutes, "Can you cook?" — the girl could not; they did not last). That led to Mama singing in the kitchen, which led to Jasmine singing, which led to the realization that the cookbook is about sound. The sizzle. The singing. The "hm" of a man in a wheelchair. The kitchen is the loudest room in any house.

At school, Tyrell's parents agreed to an evaluation. His mother emailed: "Thank you for not giving up on my son." I didn't give up because I don't know how. Mama didn't teach me how. She forgot to include that recipe.

Made butternut squash soup Wednesday — first soup of fall. Roasted squash, blended with broth and cream, topped with pepitas and maple. Curtis ate it and said, "This tastes like baby food." I said, "Delicious baby food." He finished the bowl. That's a yes disguised as a no. I speak fluent Curtis.

The butternut squash soup was Wednesday’s answer — quiet, golden, blended smooth like a thought you’ve finally put into words. But by the weekend, the kitchen needed something with more texture, more heft, something that could hold its own against the noise of October. This bucatini with sausage and kale is exactly that: a bowl that sizzles getting made, smells like something Mama would’ve approved of, and earns the same Curtis review — skeptical fork, empty bowl.

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

12 oz bucatini pasta
1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed (mild or hot)
1 bunch lacinato kale, stems removed, leaves roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup pasta cooking water, reserved
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook bucatini according to package directions until al dente. Before draining, reserve 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water. Drain and set aside.
Brown the sausage. Heat olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon, until browned and cooked through, about 6—8 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer sausage to a plate, leaving the drippings in the pan.
Build the base. Reduce heat to medium. Add garlic and red pepper flakes to the skillet and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour in the white wine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer until the wine reduces by half, about 2 minutes.
Wilt the kale. Add the chopped kale to the skillet in batches, stirring to coat in the pan liquid. Cook until kale is wilted and tender, about 4—5 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
Bring it together. Return the sausage to the skillet. Add the drained bucatini and 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water. Toss everything together over medium heat, adding more pasta water a splash at a time until the sauce coats the pasta loosely. Stir in Parmesan and toss once more.
Serve. Divide among bowls and top with additional Parmesan and a crack of black pepper. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Bucatini with Sausage & Kale — The Yes Disguised as a No