My sister Colleen is legendary (like, Clint Eastwood is to movies legendary) as the ultimate family cook, chef, and baker. My first recollection of her kitchen prowess was the first-prize ribbon she received for a delightful peach pie she entered into a cooking contest. She was only 16 and was likely competing with some heavy pie-hitters given the large rural community we come from. Since early on, she has been a passionate kitchen dweller and the lead in most of our extended family dinners. She is a major inspiration for me when it comes to satisfying food and great recipe combinations.
Can you imagine what you might find in her kitchen, should you have the opportunity to house-sit for her as I am now? You guessed it. Almost everything – the spices, the sexy condiments you want to buy but rarely do, the curated gadgets (not too many, just the right ones) and more. Call me the kid in the candy store. She also has an inline kitchen which is one of the most efficient kitchens I’ve found. I’m loving it and admittedly, I am making a bit of a mess in it.
Having found a quality Italian pappardelle, I assembled a dish that was inspired by the olives I found in Colleen’s fridge and the house-marinated olives I had at Uccelino Italian Trattoria in Edmonton recently. Among other things, the citrus oil Uccelino’s olives were marinated in created, in my estimation, olive perfection. I enjoyed the orange-esque flavour so I thought I would use an orange zest. It worked. And oh so well.
This is my mise en place. I used enoki mushrooms which, if you try to replicate, add shortly before you add the cooked pasta as they are delicate and almost disappear if overcooked. You could sub in almost any mushroom including the Shimeji brown mushrooms which I intend to try next time. The mint shown was ribboned and used as garnish.
I used a reasonable glug of good olive oil (credit to Colleen’s pantry) so I could infuse it with the orange zest and onion. I just warmed the oil and allowed the ingredients to steep before adding the kale, chili pepper and olives. In the meantime, my pasta was cooking. Once al dente, I added the pappardelle to the pan along with some pasta water and gave it a good toss before seasoning it with some sea salt. This dish made me so happy with the subtle citrus, the decadent olives and the toothiness of the kale. I will be eagerly creating and testing a recipe to share. But, in the meantime, I have a kitchen to clean…
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