Focus, Mom!

We made a delicious, easy meal this week, and we even managed to increase the nutrition factor over our regular kale-less version of the recipe, but regrettably, nearly every picture I took was out of focus. Was Ben cooking too fast to be captured by the lens? Am I getting the “Beachy Shakes”? (Many members of my mom’s family get very quivery at a certain age, and I know it sounds like a callous term, but I learned it from my shaky mom.) Maybe I just lacked the focus to focus. In any case, if Ben has to admonish you to focus, you know you have issues.

Sausage Kale Pasta Gratin

1 pound orecchiette pasta

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, diced

1 pound sausage

1/2 pound cut kale, thick stems removed

1/2 cup cream

1 cup reserved pasta water

1/4 teaspoon chili flakes

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated

1-2 cups mozzarella, grated

Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large pot, preferably with a pasta colander insert, cook pasta in salted water until one minute before al dente. Remove and drain pasta, reserving pasta water. Preheat the broiler.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in large sauté pan and cook onion and sausage over medium heat until sausage is browned. Add red pepper flakes.
3. When pasta has been removed from water, cook kale in pasta water for 2-3 minutes, until bright green. Remove kale from the water, allow to drain, and squeeze out excess liquid. Retain at least 1 cup of pasta water.
4. When sausage is brown, add cooked pasta and kale to sauté pan. Increase heat to medium-high, and add cream and half the reserved pasta water. Stir and cook for about a minute, adding the parmesan cheese and half the mozzarella. If you want to loosen the sauce that forms, add more pasta water. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Pour the mixture into oven safe dish, top with remaining mozzarella and broil about 2 minutes until cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown.

Many of you have asked about how Ben spends his days. Every week day he uses a pocket chart to set up his day, then a DSP supervises him as he does chores around the house before they set off for the day. He does a daily exercise/dancing/drumming program at the Y, volunteers on different days of the week at various places, and some days does bowling, library, movies, bingo, outings, hikes, and cooking with friends. When he comes home, I like for him to write about his day in a composition book. I thought it would keep his writing skills sharp, but most days, he just copies the agenda items from his pocket chart. 

Last week, he decided to add a little flair by moving beyond the daily agenda in his written account of his day. Did he throw in the last line to see if I was paying attention or as an admission of guilt? Maybe he is clarifying the details for future biographers? In any case, his accurate depiction of his time at the park was just proof that his focus on details exceeds mine these days.