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1
Fill a large pasta pot with water and bring to a boil.
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2
Add salt to taste and the kale.
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3
Boil 2 to 3 minutes, until tender, then using a Chinese skimmer, a strainer or a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl of cold water (do not drain water in the pot; youll use it for the pasta).
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4
Drain kale and a handful at a time, squeeze out excess water.
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5
Chop medium fine and set aside.
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6
(You can do this step while you are waiting for the water to come to a boil for the kale).
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7
Season shrimp with salt and pepper to taste.
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8
Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large, heavy skillet or a wide saucepan and add shrimp.
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9
Do not stir for a minute, then turn shrimp and toss in the pan until seared on the edges, pink and cooked through, about 4 minutes.
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10
Remove to a plate.
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11
Turn heat down to medium and add garlic and hot pepper flakes.
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12
Cook, stirring, until fragrant, 10 to 20 seconds (the pan will be quite hot), and stir in tomatoes with liquid, sugar, salt and oregano or thyme.
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13
Turn heat up to medium-high and stir often as tomatoes come to a brisk boil.
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14
Turn heat down to medium and cook, stirring often, until tomatoes have cooked down and taste very fragrant, about 10 minutes.
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15
Stir in kale and simmer for another 3 to 5 minutes.
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16
Stir in shrimp or keep separate, remove from the heat and keep warm.
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17
If sauce seems dry you can add some cooking water from the pasta.
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18
Bring water in pot back to a boil and add spaghetti.
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19
Cook al dente, following timing instructions on the package but checking for doneness a minute before the indicated time.
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20
Set aside 1/2 cup of the cooking water from the pasta, in case you want to moisten the sauce more, drain pasta and toss with tomato and kale mixture.
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21
Add water from the pasta only if you think the mixture seems dry.
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22
Serve the pasta and top each serving with 3 shrimp if you havent tossed the shrimp with the sauce.
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23
Pass crumbled feta or grated Parmesan at the table for sprinkling.
