Pasta With Broccoli Rabe and Sausage

One of my husbands my favorite things in the whole world is Broccoli Rabe....yea i know. Anyways, if you've never had it, it tastes like bitter Broccoli and it's definitely an acquired taste. It is really popular in Italian dishes, which would explain why my husband likes it given he's Italian. Well you can imagine my delight when I open one of my favorite cookbooks-Rao's and see a couple Broccoli Rabe recipes. I probably make Pasta with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage once every two weeks so it's definitely a winner and keeper in my house. If you ever decide to venture into the world of broccoli rabe, I would urge you to try this recipe. As always, I did make some changes- I used turkey sausage and farfalle instead of orechiette.


Orecchiette With Broccoli Rabe and Sausage
Adapted from Rao's Cookbook by Frank Pellegrino


Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 pound Italian sausage, a combination of hot and sweet according to your taste, cut into bite-size pieces
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup broccoli rabe water
1 pound orecchiette
1 pound broccoli rabe, cooked
Freshly-grated Pecorino Romano cheese


Directions
1. Heat oil and stir in garlic in a large saute pan over medium heat. Careful not to burn the garlic.
2. Add the sausages and cook until it is cooked through. Season with Salt and Pepper. I also add a bit of onion and garlic powder.
3. Add the Broccoli Rabe and a cup of Broccoli Rabe water.
4. Raise heat and cook for a couple of minutes.
5. Meanwhile, cook pasta and drain.
6. Add pasta to the Broccolli Rabe sauce. Gently stir and let simmer for a couple of minutes.
7. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.

Serves 4 as main course. Serves 6 as pasta course.
**note- to cook broccoli rabe add it to boiling water for about 3 minutes. Some cooks will tell you to put it on ice to stop the cooking immediately but I've never done that.

Enjoy!