Sometimes it's better to keep things simple; and...garlic really *does* make things taste good.
I may have overdone it tonight. While dinner was okay, it wasn't at all as good as I imagined it would be. Broccoli di rape was on sale today, so I bought two bunches for dinner. My original intent was to make it with sausage and pasta, a favorite of mine. When I got into the kitchen I thought I'd try a different take on my usual method and made a tomato based sauce. I also added asparagus to the dish, which didn't help. While it didn't taste bad, and it won't go to waste (I'll certainly get a few more meals out of this during the week) I wasn't too happy with the outcome. One thing that definitely would have helped was garlic. It's amazing what a few freshly minced cloves will do, but alas, I misremembered my current (non) supply.
Instead of giving you the details, I'll leave you with my regular recipe, as well as I can remember it anyway. :)
1/2 lb Italian sausage (hot or sweet), removed from it's casing and crumbled
extra-virgin olive oil
2 lbs broccoli di rape, washed
3 large cloves garlic, minced
salt
1/4 t hot red pepper flakes
1 cup chicken stock or dry white wine
1 lb orecciette or cavatelli pasta
1 oz or more pecorino romano cheese, freshly grated
Put a large pot of salted water on to boil. Parboil the broccoli until just tender, about 4 minutes. Remove with tongs or slotted spoon and dunk in ice water to stop further cooking. Retain cooking water for pasta.
When cool, wring out excess water with your hands and roughly chop into bite sized pieces.
In a large, deep skillet saute the sausage over med-high heat in a tablespoon or two of oil. When the sausage just starts to brown, add the garlic and cook another 2-3 minutes or until sausage is lightly browned all over. Remove sausage from pan and set aside.
Bring the water back to a boil and add the pasta, stirring occasionally.
Back in the skillet, add a tablespoon of oil, if necessary, and and add the broccoli. Saute for a minute or two and season with salt and red pepper. Turn the heat to high and add the wine or chicken stock, brining to a boil. Scrape up any bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon and reduce heat to simmer. Allow the liquid to reduce by half. Add the sausage back into the pan and toss.
Cook the pasta slightly under-done, drain and add to sausage & broccoli. Toss well. Retaste and adjust seasoning to your liking. Take off heat and toss with half of the grated cheese. Put in serving bowl and sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
Buon Appetito!
Instead of giving you the details, I'll leave you with my regular recipe, as well as I can remember it anyway. :)
1/2 lb Italian sausage (hot or sweet), removed from it's casing and crumbled
extra-virgin olive oil
2 lbs broccoli di rape, washed
3 large cloves garlic, minced
salt
1/4 t hot red pepper flakes
1 cup chicken stock or dry white wine
1 lb orecciette or cavatelli pasta
1 oz or more pecorino romano cheese, freshly grated
Put a large pot of salted water on to boil. Parboil the broccoli until just tender, about 4 minutes. Remove with tongs or slotted spoon and dunk in ice water to stop further cooking. Retain cooking water for pasta.
When cool, wring out excess water with your hands and roughly chop into bite sized pieces.
In a large, deep skillet saute the sausage over med-high heat in a tablespoon or two of oil. When the sausage just starts to brown, add the garlic and cook another 2-3 minutes or until sausage is lightly browned all over. Remove sausage from pan and set aside.
Bring the water back to a boil and add the pasta, stirring occasionally.
Back in the skillet, add a tablespoon of oil, if necessary, and and add the broccoli. Saute for a minute or two and season with salt and red pepper. Turn the heat to high and add the wine or chicken stock, brining to a boil. Scrape up any bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon and reduce heat to simmer. Allow the liquid to reduce by half. Add the sausage back into the pan and toss.
Cook the pasta slightly under-done, drain and add to sausage & broccoli. Toss well. Retaste and adjust seasoning to your liking. Take off heat and toss with half of the grated cheese. Put in serving bowl and sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
Buon Appetito!