Orecchiette with Italian Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

Here is our take on a classic pasta dish that we have had at restaurants and catered parties

Orecchiette with Italian Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

Orecchiette in Italian literally means “little ears” due to the button shape of the pasta

Of course you can substitute the pasta of your choice but I have to tell you, the orecchiette act like little bowls that hold the delicious sauce that you get with this dish

Now, I’m going to let you in on a little secret as far as the broccoli rabe goes

Guess what?

It doesn’t have to be bitter

My friend Melissa asked a local chef what he did to make his broccoli rabe so good and he was gracious enough to share his method with her

She shared it with me and I’m sharing it with you

See how much fun sharing can be

We are starting off with 1 bunch of broccoli rabe that I’m going to rinse off in water to remove any excess dirt

After they have been cleaned we are going to cut the ends off and discard

Fill a large pot with 8 cups of water

Next, we will need 1 lemon and 1 tablespoon of kosher salt

Add the salt and lemon juice to the water

Bring it to a boil and add in the broccoli rabe

Blanch this for 2-3 minutes then immediately remove to an ice water bath to stop the cooking process

Once cooled, chop and set aside

Next we will need 8 hot Italian sausages (you can use sweet), 1 onion, 5 garlic cloves, 3 bay leaves, 1 teaspoon each of kosher salt, ground black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes

Cook 1 pound of Orecchiette pasta according to the packages directions, drain (reserving 1 cup of the liquid) and set aside

Heat 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a pan over medium heat

Add in the crushed red pepper and bay leaves

Cook for around 2 minutes to release some aromatics

Peel and chop the onion and garlic

Add to the pan and and sprinkle with the salt and pepper

Cook 5-6 minutes or until they are starting to brown and are lightly translucent

Remove the sausage from its casings and add into the pan

Cook around 6-8 minutes breaking the sausage into smaller pieces until nice and browned

Stir in the broccoli

Now for the sauce

We will need 1 cup of dry white wine (like a chardonnay), 1 cup of chicken stock, 1 cup of pasta water and 1/2 cup of heavy cream

Click on the link below to make your own chicken stock

Homemade Chicken Stock

Now you might be asking yourself about the pasta water

When the pasta cooks it releases so much starch into the water that this becomes a great natural thickener for our sauce

Add the wine to the sausage and broccoli and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5-6 minutes to cook off some of the alcohol

Next add in the chicken stock, pasta water and heavy cream

I also add in 1/2 cup of grated pecorino romano cheese (you can use parmesan)

Give everybody a stir, bring to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook 10 minutes to allow the flavors to meld

The sauce will thicken slightly

Remove and discard the 3 bay leaves

Chop about a 1/2 cup of fresh parsley

Add the pasta to the pan and toss to coat

Cook another 2-3 minutes to reheat the pasta and thicken the sauce a bit more

Remove from the heat and sprinkle with the fresh parsley

We served this with additional crushed red pepper and grated cheese!

Enjoy!!!

Tools used to make this recipe

Simply Bamboo Cutting Board

Architec Gripperwood Cutting Board

Lodge Cast Iron Pan

New Star Foodservice Lemon Squeezer

OXO Good Grips Fish Turner

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