I didn’t used to be a softie.
I used to have a front row seat at the Wake County courthouse covering criminal trials. I didn’t flinch at crime scene photos or graphic testimony about violence.
I’m not saying I was ever as intimately knowledgeable or affected as the police officers, crime scene investigators, prosecutors and defense lawyers on the front lines of our criminal justice system. But I was an observer to the courtroom drama and heard all the disturbing details. In my nine years of covering crime here and in South Carolina, only two murder cases ever really got to me.
But these days, I can barely read the news without bursting into tears. I spent most of Wednesday driving from interview to interview, wiping away tears as I listened to news accounts of the shooting deaths of Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23; his wife, Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, 21; and her sister, Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19.
When I mentioned this to a co-worker, he told me the difference now is I am a parent.
I don’t think parenthood makes everyone a softie; it just apparently did that to me.
I don’t think I could have covered the trial and re-trial of Jason Young without struggling to hold back tears during testimony about his toddler daughter tracking bloody footprints through the house after being left alone with her murdered pregnant mother, Michelle Young.
When I covered courts, I used to escape by curling up at night with cookbooks. Now I escape the world’s bad news by finding solace in the kitchen.
I do express my love by cooking. I feel like I have done well as a parent when I can pull together a homemade meal on a weeknight, which is tougher than I imagined before I became a mother. I’ve learned to find recipes that make it easier.
That’s why I loved this recipe from Cook’s Country magazine for Sausage, Kale and Bean Pasta. It is all cooked in one pot. The pasta is cooked in broth along with onions, kale, beans and sausage. The dish was more brothy, soup-like the first night but became a more traditional pasta dish a day later after the pasta soaked up all that broth. It came together in about 30 minutes and worked for my toddler in a deconstructed form (sausage, pasta and beans all separate on a plate).
Hug your loved ones — and if it will make you feel better, cook them something good to eat.
Sausage, Kale and Bean Pasta
For a vegetarian version of this dish, omit the sausage, double the beans and use vegetable broth. Adapted from Cook’s Country, October/November 2013.
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 lb. hot Italian sausage, casings removed, sausage broken into 1/2-inch pieces
1 onion, chopped fine
1 (15-oz.) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. fennel seeds
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/8-1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
3 cups broth (beef, chicken or vegetable)
1 to 2 cups water
8 oz. (2 1/4 cups) orecchiette or small shells
8 oz. kale, stems removed and chopped into small pieces
1 oz. Pecorino Romano cheese, grated (about ½ cup)
Salt and pepper
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add sausage and cook until lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add onion and beans and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, fennel seeds, oregano and pepper flakes and cook until fragant, about 30 seconds.
Stir in broth and 1 cup water and bring a boil. Stir in pasta and half of kale. Add up to 1 more cup water if needed to make sure pasta is submerged. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer for 4 minutes. Without stirring, place remaining kale on top of pasta. Cover and continue to cook until kale is just tender, about 4 minutes.
Stir to incorporate kale into pasta. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until pasta is al dente, 3 to 6 minutes. Off heat, stir in Pecorino cheese and remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with extra cheese.
Yield: 4-6 servings.
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