Ingredients
- 1 pound broccoli rabe, trimmed of broken leaves
- 1 pound orecchiette or any other pasta noodle
- two tablespoons water
- four to five cloves garlic clove, thinly sliced
- 1/2 pound Italian sausage, reduce quarter-inch slices
- Salt
- 1 cup coarse, seasoned bread crumbs, toasted, optional garnish
- Pecorino Romano or Parmesan, optional garnish
Directions
Cut the broccoli rabe into three or four inch pieces, discarding the stems. Inside a large pot of quickly boiling water, blanch the broccoli rabe until tender and cooked through, about five to six minutes. Before you decide to drain broccoli rabe, reserve 1 cup of cooking liquid. Drain and rinse the broccoli rabe with cold water until it's chilled. Spread it on the towel to complete draining.
Meanwhile, prepare the pasta inside a large pot of boiling water based on package directions until al dente.
As the pasta is cooking, place two tablespoons water right into a cold skillet with garlic clove and sausage after which turn heat to medium-low. Prepare, stirring from time to time, until garlic clove is golden and sausage is cooked through, about five to seven minutes. Pour reserved broccoli water into pan with sausage.
Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and put in pot you cooked it in and season with salt. Pour sausage sauce over pasta and stir in cooked broccoli rabe. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve immediately.
When the Queen's visiting dinner: Garnish with fresh bread crumbs and/or freshly grated pecorino Romano or mozzarella dairy product .