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2 Add the chicken broth and kale. Bring to a boil and stir well, then reduce the heat to medium and cook, covered, until the kale is tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

3 Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot, passing the cheese, if using, at the table.

Pasta with Kale and Sausage

Serves 4

A simple combination of kale and sausage makes a wonderful topping for pasta. If you’d rather use collard greens, blanch the greens for 10 minutes.

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound sweet or hot Italian-style sausage (pork or turkey), casings discarded and sausage crumbled

1 pound kale, coarsely chopped (about 12 cups lightly packed; remove and discard tough stems)

1 pound orecchiette, conchiglie, or other cup-shaped pasta

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 shallot, diced

2/3 cup chicken broth (page 127)

½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

1 Begin heating a large pot of salted water to a boil for the kale and linguine.

2 Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook until browned, breaking it up with a spoon, 5 to 7 minutes.

3 Blanch the kale in the boiling water, until bright green and slightly tender, about 3 minutes. Remove kale with a large sieve or whatever tool you have handy (a strainer with a handle, a wide flat skimmer, et cetera). Let drain in a colander.

4 Return the water in the pot to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, and then drain the pasta.

5 While the pasta cooks, add the garlic and shallot to the sausage in the skillet and sauté over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until just tender, about 3 minutes. Add the kale and broth, stirring and scraping up any browned bits, and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. Add the pasta and ½ cup of the reserved cooking water, tossing to combine. Stir in the Parmesan and thin with additional cooking water if desired. Serve immediately.

Kitchen Note: The pasta shape of choice is one that can be forked up with a few beans, pieces of sausage, and flakes of green. Orecchiette (“little ears”) or conchiglie (“conch shells”) fit the bill perfectly.

Ravioli With Smoky Greens

Serves 4

Frozen cheese-filled ravioli is a convenience food I like to have on hand. Combined with hearty greens, it makes a healthful dish that can be prepared in just minutes. It can be made without the bacon if a vegetarian version is preferred.

4 strips bacon, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 pound mustard greens or kale, chopped (about 12 cups lightly packed; remove and discard tough stems)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 (30-ounce) package frozen cheese-filled ravioli

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 Begin heating a large pot of salted water to a boil for the ravioli.

2 Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until well browned and crisp. With a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain.

3 Add the garlic to the pan and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the greens and continue to sauté until wilted, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add 2 tablespoons water, cover, and steam until tender, about 3 minutes. Keep warm.

4 Add the ravioli to the boiling water and simmer (do not boil) until the ravioli are cooked through and rise to the surface of the water, about 5 minutes. Drain well.

5 With a slotted spoon, transfer the ravioli to the pan with the greens. Sprinkle with half the Parmesan and toss gently. Transfer the ravioli and greens to a serving dish. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan on top, garnish with the bacon, and serve.

Variation: Vegetarian Ravioli with Greens

Bacon provides the smoky flavor, but an all-vegetarian version can be made by omitting the bacon and using 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil for sautéing the greens.

Pasta with Kale, Sausage, and Tomatoes

Serves 4–6

This is one of the dishes for which kale and collards can be used inter-changeably, but the sauce needs more time