mimamone: Orecchiette with rapini and sausage

Rapini, or broccoli rabe is quiet different from regular broccoli, a little bitter and spicy. It's a cool weather vegetable, easy to grow in spring and fall. I grow it in a raised bed covered with plastic. I am harvesting it now. If you hate rapini (can happen), try this dish with the good old broccoli. If you are a vegetarian, forget about the sausage. This is a simple, hardy dish and easy to prepare. Try it, I assure you, you will not be disappointed.

Ingredients:

1 bunch rapini (brocoli rabe) chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
5 Tbl olive oil
1 Italian sausage (hot or mild)
1 pound Orecchiette
5 Tbl grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Remove the sausage from its casing, break it up and place the pieces in a saute pan. Cook until the meat loses its raw color. Put aside.

Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add a little oil and abundant salt.

Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan. Add the garlic and cook for a very short time. Add the chopped rapini, a little salt to taste and cook for 5 minutes, stirring it often. You might add a little water or vegetable broth, and cover the pan. Cook over medium heat until rapini is tender but not soft. At that point start to cook the orecchiette. Add sausage to the rapini and continue to cook over medium heat. If needed add a little pasta water to the rapini. There should be enough liquid. Taste for salt and pepper. When the orecchiette are al dente, drain and add to the saute pan. Toss briefly to let the pasta absorb the sauce. Add 3 Tbl Pecorino and toss again.

Serve in bowls topped with the rest of the cheese.