Categories: Made
Ingredients
- 4 ounces of pancetta, diced into ⅛ to 1/4-inch cubes
- pure olive oil
- 1 pound 4 ounces sliced baby bella (crimini) mushrooms
- 2 cloves garlic smacked to lightly crush, but left in its papery skin
- three generous pinches kosher salt
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- ⅓ cup dry white wine
- 8 cups baby kale
- 1 pound to 17.2 ounces of good pasta, cooked according to very al dente according to package directions, hot pasta water reserved
- 11/2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- To serve:
- extra parmesan cheese
Directions
-
Get a large pasta pot of water set over high heat and let it come to a boil while you work on the other ingredients.
-
Place a large skillet over medium low heat and toss in the diced pancetta. Render the fat from the pancetta and cook until the pancetta is golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pancetta to a paper towel lined plate.
-
If there is less than 2 tablespoons of fat, augment the pancetta fat with some pure olive oil to make up for the difference. Turn the heat to HIGH and add half of the mushrooms, the smacked cloves of garlic, and the kosher salt and toss in the pan, then let cook, undisturbed for 2 minutes before stirring it.
-
Meanwhile, cook the pasta to one or two minutes UNDER done according to package directions. Add the sprigs of rosemary to the pan with the mushrooms and push the mushrooms to the edge of the pan. Add a teaspoon of pure olive oil and the second half of the mushrooms and let cook undisturbed for 2 minutes before stirring. When the mushrooms are seared and fragrant, add the white wine to the pot along with a ladle full of pasta water and let it boil until it is reduced by half. Add the kale into the pot. Use tongs to transfer the pasta from the hot water directly to the pan, add the grated parmesan cheese, fresh black pepper, and another ladle or two full of hot pasta water. Toss to combine, allowing the pan sauce to boil and thicken. When the pasta is coated with the sauce, remove the pan from the heat and remove the rosemary sprigs from the pasta. Serve hot, garnished with the reserved pancetta.