Quick and Easy Pasta for a Cold Night by Nicole Borland We continue our cooking journey in search of simple, easy-to- prepare dishes using ingredients made right here in Old East Village. In this edition, we’re taking a look at the many butcher shop options found at The Market and in particular, in-house made sausages. Why sausages? Because it’s the new year, and you probably had an indulgent holiday season and want something quick and easy that can be enjoyed any night of the week. So, we present sausage and kale pasta (a very creative name), quite possibly the easiest pasta dish that does not skimp on flavour. Whether your go-to is The Butcher’s Wife, The Village Meat Shop, The Butcher’s Blend, or Country Style Meat, you’re sure to find a delicious option that will work perfectly for this recipe (The Corner Deli deserves a shoutout because it’s wonderful, but cured sausages wouldn’t quite work here).
and kale skillet, increasing the heat to medium. Add the pasta water and parmesan, mixing everything
to combine, stirring/ folding continuously until there’s a saucy gloss on the pasta (about 2 mins). Enjoy! Note: If you’re meat-free, veggie sausage or quartered mush- rooms work well, just add additional olive oil.
Ingredients 1 tbsp of olive oil 4 medium to large sausages (Italian recommended) 1 large white onion 4 cloves garlic 1 tbsp of chili flakes (optional) 1 bunch of kale (chopped) 1 tbsp tomato paste ¼ - ½ cup of parmesan (freshly grated) 4 cups pasta (of your choosing - short, ridged recommended) ½ cup pasta water ½ cup of parsley (chopped, optional) Salt and pepper to taste Directions Remove sausages from their casing and break into bite-sized pieces. Fry in olive oil over medium heat in a preheated skillet until cooked through and browned, remove and set aside. In the same skillet, add the onions and cook until softened. Add the garlic and tomato paste (add chili flakes here if using). Stir to combine and cook for 2 to 3 mins. Reduce heat to low, add the kale and stir all ingredients to combine. Return the sausage to skillet. Add pasta to boiling salted water and cook to package directions. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water. Drain pasta and immediately add it to the sausage
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Old East Villager Jan-Feb 2026 • Page 13
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