Orechiette with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe Pesto

I've always had mixed feelings about Anne Burrell.  She has such a strange personality and says weird things (like calling the yummy stuff that sticks to the bottom of a pan, crud.) that turn me off but her recipes always look delicious.  So when I found out that she had a cookbook coming out I immediately put it on my Christmas list.  My parents gave it to me as one of my gifts (thanks mom and dad!) and now I have half the book covered in post it notes.  I really enjoy reading cookbooks as much as I enjoy the recipes.  I like to get to know the story behind the chef and learn what makes them different.  One of the things I learned from reading Cook Like a Rock Star is that Anne Burrell is not a huge fan of black pepper.  Guess what, either am I.  In almost all of my recipes I write salt and pepper to taste as an ingredient however, I often leave out the pepper or put very little.  I know this may seem silly but it was almost liberating to read that salt and pepper DON'T always have to go together.  It is perfectly OK to leave out the pepper!  So from now on I am letting go of the rule that I somehow learned about where you add salt you add pepper.  Thanks Anne!

I followed this recipe pretty much word for word except I only used anout one-third of the pesto and as always I keep Pecorino Romano cheese in my house so that's what I use.  Other than that the only change I would make next time is to use the full pound of sausage.  This was a fantastic recipe and I can't wait to make some more pasta to eat with the leftover pesto! Just thinking that if you left out the sausage this would be a great meal to serve on one of those meatless nights during Lent. 

Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe Pesto and Sausage

Source: Cook Like a Rockstar by Anne Burrell

Ingredients:

For the Pesto:

Kosher Salt
1 bunches of broccoli rabe, tough lower stems removed, coarsely chopped into 1-inch lengths
1/2 cup chopped pistachios
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano
Extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup mascarpone

For the Pasta:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 pound Italian sausage, sweet or spicy, casings removed
1 pound orecchiette
Big fat finishing oil
Freshly grated Parmigiano

Directions:

For the Pesto:

1.  Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.  Drop the rabe into the water, give it a swish, and remove it immediately, saving the water to cook your pasta in later.

2.  Reserve a cup of the rabe.  Toss the rest in a food processor and pulse, pulse, pulse until you have a coarse paste.  Add the pistachios and Parm and puree until smooth.  If it seems dry, drizzle in a little olive oil while the machine is running.  It should be slightly bitter, nutty, and creamy at the same time. Reserve.

For the Pasta:

1.  Coat a large saute pan with olive oil and bring a medium-high heat.  Add the sausage, using a spoon to break it up, and cook until brown and crumbly, 8-10 minutes.

2. Bring your broccoli rabe water back to a boil and toss in the pasta, cooking for 1 minute less than the package recommends.  Drain the pasta and add it, along with 1/2 cup reserved pasta cooking water, the reserved rabe, and two-thirds of the pesto, to the pan with the sausage.  Stir to combine and cook until the water evaporates and the pesto is clinging to the pasta.  Remove from the heat, drizzle with some big fat finishing oil, sprinkle with more Parm, and stir vigorously to combine.  Divide among bowls and serve immediately. 
Click here for a printable version of this recipe.


The dish I served this in is microwave and oven safe.  It can be found by clicking here. 

Orechiette with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe Pesto

I've always had mixed feelings about Anne Burrell.  She has such a strange personality and says weird things (like calling the yummy stuff that sticks to the bottom of a pan, crud.) that turn me off but her recipes always look delicious.  So when I found out that she had a cookbook coming out I immediately put it on my Christmas list.  My parents gave it to me as one of my gifts (thanks mom and dad!) and now I have half the book covered in post it notes.  I really enjoy reading cookbooks as much as I enjoy the recipes.  I like to get to know the story behind the chef and learn what makes them different.  One of the things I learned from reading Cook Like a Rock Star is that Anne Burrell is not a huge fan of black pepper.  Guess what, either am I.  In almost all of my recipes I write salt and pepper to taste as an ingredient however, I often leave out the pepper or put very little.  I know this may seem silly but it was almost liberating to read that salt and pepper DON'T always have to go together.  It is perfectly OK to leave out the pepper!  So from now on I am letting go of the rule that I somehow learned about where you add salt you add pepper.  Thanks Anne!

I followed this recipe pretty much word for word except I only used anout one-third of the pesto and as always I keep Pecorino Romano cheese in my house so that's what I use.  Other than that the only change I would make next time is to use the full pound of sausage.  This was a fantastic recipe and I can't wait to make some more pasta to eat with the leftover pesto! Just thinking that if you left out the sausage this would be a great meal to serve on one of those meatless nights during Lent. 

Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe Pesto and Sausage

Source: Cook Like a Rockstar by Anne Burrell

Ingredients:

For the Pesto:

Kosher Salt
1 bunches of broccoli rabe, tough lower stems removed, coarsely chopped into 1-inch lengths
1/2 cup chopped pistachios
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano
Extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup mascarpone

For the Pasta:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 pound Italian sausage, sweet or spicy, casings removed
1 pound orecchiette
Big fat finishing oil
Freshly grated Parmigiano

Directions:

For the Pesto:

1.  Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.  Drop the rabe into the water, give it a swish, and remove it immediately, saving the water to cook your pasta in later.

2.  Reserve a cup of the rabe.  Toss the rest in a food processor and pulse, pulse, pulse until you have a coarse paste.  Add the pistachios and Parm and puree until smooth.  If it seems dry, drizzle in a little olive oil while the machine is running.  It should be slightly bitter, nutty, and creamy at the same time. Reserve.

For the Pasta:

1.  Coat a large saute pan with olive oil and bring a medium-high heat.  Add the sausage, using a spoon to break it up, and cook until brown and crumbly, 8-10 minutes.

2. Bring your broccoli rabe water back to a boil and toss in the pasta, cooking for 1 minute less than the package recommends.  Drain the pasta and add it, along with 1/2 cup reserved pasta cooking water, the reserved rabe, and two-thirds of the pesto, to the pan with the sausage.  Stir to combine and cook until the water evaporates and the pesto is clinging to the pasta.  Remove from the heat, drizzle with some big fat finishing oil, sprinkle with more Parm, and stir vigorously to combine.  Divide among bowls and serve immediately. 
Click here for a printable version of this recipe.


The dish I served this in is microwave and oven safe.  It can be found by clicking here. 

Risotto of Sweet Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

I got this recipe in a great magazine, a special Italian edition of Fine Cooking.  This was delicious but there is one thing that is way way off.  The claim is that this recipe serves 2 as a main course.  Absolutely not.  Not two Italians who like to eat, that's for sure! This filled two very small bowls and I gave half of mine up to give to Steve bc he was still hungry.  So I'd say it serves two as a first course but definitely not a main course.  Double this recipe if you want to get 2 nice servings.  Aside from that this was so good!  The flavor was amazing and I love that I got Steve to eat broccoli rabe, one of my favorite things (even if it was a little sneaky). 

Risotto of Sweet Sausage and Broccoli Rabe
The Best of Fine Cooking No. 36
Real Italian

Ingredients:

3 cups chicken broth
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup arborio rice
1/4 lb. sweet italian sausage, skinned and crumbled
1 small garlic clove, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
pinch of cayenne
1/4 lb. broccoli raabe, boiled for 5 minutes, drained, squeezed dry and coarsly chopped
2 tbsp freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano

Directions:

In a small saucepan, bring the broth to a boil; lower the heat to a simmer.  In a large, heavy-gauge saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter.  Stir in the rice, toasdting just until it starts to sizzle and pop, about 1 minute.  It should not color.  Add the sausage and garlic.  Stir, breaking up the meat into small bits, until the sausage has lost its pink color, about 1 minute.  Pour in teh wine.  Stir occasionally, cooking until the liquid is almost gone, about 2 minutes.  Add just enough hot broth to cover the rice.  Lower the heat to maintain a vigorous simmer; stir occasionally.  When the likid is almost gone, add just enough hot broth to cover the rice, along with a pinch of salt and cayenne.  Check the risooto every 3 or 4 minutes, giving it an occasional stir to make sure it isn't sticking to the bottom of the pan and adding just enough broth to cover the rice when the liquid has almost dissappeated.  After a couple of additions of broth add the brocccoli rabe.
Continue adding the broth and checking until the rice is just al dente, about 20 minutes from the first liquid addition.  Bite into a grain; you should see a small white pin-dot in the center.  Take the risotto off the heat and stir vigorously for a few seconds.  Fold in the Parmigiano, pepper to taste and a pinch of salt if needed.  Stir in a few tablespoons of broth to loosen the risotto, if you like.  Serve immediately.  

Risotto of Sweet Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

I got this recipe in a great magazine, a special Italian edition of Fine Cooking.  This was delicious but there is one thing that is way way off.  The claim is that this recipe serves 2 as a main course.  Absolutely not.  Not two Italians who like to eat, that's for sure! This filled two very small bowls and I gave half of mine up to give to Steve bc he was still hungry.  So I'd say it serves two as a first course but definitely not a main course.  Double this recipe if you want to get 2 nice servings.  Aside from that this was so good!  The flavor was amazing and I love that I got Steve to eat broccoli rabe, one of my favorite things (even if it was a little sneaky). 

Risotto of Sweet Sausage and Broccoli Rabe
The Best of Fine Cooking No. 36
Real Italian

Ingredients:

3 cups chicken broth
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup arborio rice
1/4 lb. sweet italian sausage, skinned and crumbled
1 small garlic clove, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
pinch of cayenne
1/4 lb. broccoli raabe, boiled for 5 minutes, drained, squeezed dry and coarsly chopped
2 tbsp freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano

Directions:

In a small saucepan, bring the broth to a boil; lower the heat to a simmer.  In a large, heavy-gauge saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter.  Stir in the rice, toasdting just until it starts to sizzle and pop, about 1 minute.  It should not color.  Add the sausage and garlic.  Stir, breaking up the meat into small bits, until the sausage has lost its pink color, about 1 minute.  Pour in teh wine.  Stir occasionally, cooking until the liquid is almost gone, about 2 minutes.  Add just enough hot broth to cover the rice.  Lower the heat to maintain a vigorous simmer; stir occasionally.  When the likid is almost gone, add just enough hot broth to cover the rice, along with a pinch of salt and cayenne.  Check the risooto every 3 or 4 minutes, giving it an occasional stir to make sure it isn't sticking to the bottom of the pan and adding just enough broth to cover the rice when the liquid has almost dissappeated.  After a couple of additions of broth add the brocccoli rabe.
Continue adding the broth and checking until the rice is just al dente, about 20 minutes from the first liquid addition.  Bite into a grain; you should see a small white pin-dot in the center.  Take the risotto off the heat and stir vigorously for a few seconds.  Fold in the Parmigiano, pepper to taste and a pinch of salt if needed.  Stir in a few tablespoons of broth to loosen the risotto, if you like.  Serve immediately.  

Broccoli Rabe Pesto Crostini

Broccoli Rabe...you either love it or you hate it. I LOVE it but I didn't always. Did you know that you need to taste a new food multiple times (I think I read 7) before you can really know if you like it or not? That being said, don't give up on your kids when they say they don't like something!

Anyway, I saw this recipe for the first time in Food and Wine magazine and was really curious about it. Then I saw it on Stacey Snacks and I knew that I'd have to try it. Stacey has not steered me wrong yet! (Make sure you check out her page, her photos are so much better than mine!) I absolutely LOVED this and I my mind is flooded with new ways to use it.  I think I want to make a veggie lasagna with it, maybe with a bechamel sauce, or maybe stuff some ravioli with it.  What would you do with it?

Broccoli Rabe Pesto Crostini

Food and Wine Magazine

Ingredients:

1 cup raw, shelled pistachios, toasted (in a pan or in a 350 oven for 10 mins)
1 pound broccoli rabe, thick stems discarded
2 cloves garlic
2 cups flat leaf parsley
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup romano cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:


Bring a large pot of water to a boil  Season generously with salt.  Add broccoli rabe and boil until crisp tender 3-4 mins.  Transfer to an ice bath and then squeeze dry.  Coarsely chop.

In a food processor pulse pistachios and garlic until coarsely chopped.  Add parsley and broccoli rabe and pulse until finely chopped.  Slowly drizzle in olive oil while running the food processor until well incorporated.  Stir in the cheese, salt and pepper.

Spread on toasted bread. 

Wow, that looks messy!  I promise it's good!


Click here for a printable version of Broccoli Rabe Pesto Crostini.

Broccoli Rabe Pesto Crostini

Broccoli Rabe...you either love it or you hate it. I LOVE it but I didn't always. Did you know that you need to taste a new food multiple times (I think I read 7) before you can really know if you like it or not? That being said, don't give up on your kids when they say they don't like something!

Anyway, I saw this recipe for the first time in Food and Wine magazine and was really curious about it. Then I saw it on Stacey Snacks and I knew that I'd have to try it. Stacey has not steered me wrong yet! (Make sure you check out her page, her photos are so much better than mine!) I absolutely LOVED this and I my mind is flooded with new ways to use it.  I think I want to make a veggie lasagna with it, maybe with a bechamel sauce, or maybe stuff some ravioli with it.  What would you do with it?

Broccoli Rabe Pesto Crostini

Food and Wine Magazine

Ingredients:

1 cup raw, shelled pistachios, toasted (in a pan or in a 350 oven for 10 mins)
1 pound broccoli rabe, thick stems discarded
2 cloves garlic
2 cups flat leaf parsley
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup romano cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:


Bring a large pot of water to a boil  Season generously with salt.  Add broccoli rabe and boil until crisp tender 3-4 mins.  Transfer to an ice bath and then squeeze dry.  Coarsely chop.

In a food processor pulse pistachios and garlic until coarsely chopped.  Add parsley and broccoli rabe and pulse until finely chopped.  Slowly drizzle in olive oil while running the food processor until well incorporated.  Stir in the cheese, salt and pepper.

Spread on toasted bread. 

Wow, that looks messy!  I promise it's good!


Click here for a printable version of Broccoli Rabe Pesto Crostini.

Pasta with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe Meets Stuffed Peppers...and they fell in love.

I couldn't resist the beautiful red bell peppers that Fairway had on sale for .99/lb last week. I bought four of them and they were all uniform in size, perfect for stuffing. I've shared my recipe for Stuffed Peppers with you already so I wanted to try something unique. I had some broccoli rabe leftover from my mom's birthday dinner and thought the bright green would look great with the red peppers. For some reason though, I can't think of broccoli rabe without also thinking of sausage, it's such a popular combination in Italian cooking. I've shared my recipe for Pasta with Sausage and Broccoli rabe already as well but I thought that this could be different. After some thinking and messing around in my fridge, freezer and pantry I decided to make Stuffed Peppers with Orzo, Sweet Italian Sausage and Broccoli Rabe. I am so very happy I tried this out. I loved it! Steve did too, even though he never really likes to eat the pepper, no matter how I make it. I did have a lot of extra filling so his second helping was the fillng minus the pepper. That itself could make a great meal or side dish.

Keep in mind, if you are making the broccoli rabe specifically for this dish I would save it for the weekend. It could end up taking some time. Since it needs to be boiled, shocked in cold water and then sauteed with garlic and oil. If you want to know how to prepare broccoli rabe for this dish please follow the link to my previous post.


Ingredients:

6 red bell peppers (I used four but had enough filling for 6)
1/2 pound of orzo
3 links of sweet Italian sausage, removed from casing
1 small onion, diced
4-5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup dry white wine
1-15 oz can tomato sauce (such as Delmonte or Contadina)
Approx 1 - 1 1/2 cups prepared broccoli rabe, chopped
1/4 cup pignoli nuts, toasted
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup romano or parmigiano cheese plus extra for grating on top
2 teaspoons basil, frozen, fresh or dried
salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Boil orzo in salted water for 7 minutes. Orzo will still be slighly tough but they will continue to cook inside the pepper. Drain well and toss with oil. Set aside in a bowl or cookie sheet to cool.

2. While pasta is cooking, prepare peppers. Remove tops and reserve for another use (such as salad), remove ribs and seeds and rinse. Cut a small slice off the bottom of the peppers. Do not cut a thick slice because we do not want the filling to fall through. You want the slice to be thick enough to make some holes for the sauce to come through and to keep the pepper from falling over. Chop up those slices and reserve. Sprinkle inside of peppers with salt and pepper.

3. In a deep pan or chicken fryer (you need to be able to fit the peppers in the pan with the lid on) Saute sausage in some oil, breaking it with a spoon or potato masher. Try to get the pieces as small as you can. Remove sausage and set aside.

4. In the same pan saute onion and garlic in drippings. Add the basil, chopped pepper and tomato. Season with salt and pepper. Once vegetables are softened add wine and let it cook down for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

5. In a large bowl combine orzo, sausage, broccoli rabe, pignoli nuts, softened veggie mixture, and cheese. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.

6. Fill peppers with mixture. Heat the same pan and add a little oil. Place peppers into the pan and let them cook for a few minutes. Add tomato sauce and season it with salt and pepper. Cover and let come to a boil. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 40 minutes or until peppers are fork tender. Sprinkle cheese on top and serve with some sauce on the plate and over the peppers.

Enjoy!

Pasta with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe Meets Stuffed Peppers...and they fell in love.

I couldn't resist the beautiful red bell peppers that Fairway had on sale for .99/lb last week. I bought four of them and they were all uniform in size, perfect for stuffing. I've shared my recipe for Stuffed Peppers with you already so I wanted to try something unique. I had some broccoli rabe leftover from my mom's birthday dinner and thought the bright green would look great with the red peppers. For some reason though, I can't think of broccoli rabe without also thinking of sausage, it's such a popular combination in Italian cooking. I've shared my recipe for Pasta with Sausage and Broccoli rabe already as well but I thought that this could be different. After some thinking and messing around in my fridge, freezer and pantry I decided to make Stuffed Peppers with Orzo, Sweet Italian Sausage and Broccoli Rabe. I am so very happy I tried this out. I loved it! Steve did too, even though he never really likes to eat the pepper, no matter how I make it. I did have a lot of extra filling so his second helping was the fillng minus the pepper. That itself could make a great meal or side dish.

Keep in mind, if you are making the broccoli rabe specifically for this dish I would save it for the weekend. It could end up taking some time. Since it needs to be boiled, shocked in cold water and then sauteed with garlic and oil. If you want to know how to prepare broccoli rabe for this dish please follow the link to my previous post.


Ingredients:

6 red bell peppers (I used four but had enough filling for 6)
1/2 pound of orzo
3 links of sweet Italian sausage, removed from casing
1 small onion, diced
4-5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup dry white wine
1-15 oz can tomato sauce (such as Delmonte or Contadina)
Approx 1 - 1 1/2 cups prepared broccoli rabe, chopped
1/4 cup pignoli nuts, toasted
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup romano or parmigiano cheese plus extra for grating on top
2 teaspoons basil, frozen, fresh or dried
salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Boil orzo in salted water for 7 minutes. Orzo will still be slighly tough but they will continue to cook inside the pepper. Drain well and toss with oil. Set aside in a bowl or cookie sheet to cool.

2. While pasta is cooking, prepare peppers. Remove tops and reserve for another use (such as salad), remove ribs and seeds and rinse. Cut a small slice off the bottom of the peppers. Do not cut a thick slice because we do not want the filling to fall through. You want the slice to be thick enough to make some holes for the sauce to come through and to keep the pepper from falling over. Chop up those slices and reserve. Sprinkle inside of peppers with salt and pepper.

3. In a deep pan or chicken fryer (you need to be able to fit the peppers in the pan with the lid on) Saute sausage in some oil, breaking it with a spoon or potato masher. Try to get the pieces as small as you can. Remove sausage and set aside.

4. In the same pan saute onion and garlic in drippings. Add the basil, chopped pepper and tomato. Season with salt and pepper. Once vegetables are softened add wine and let it cook down for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

5. In a large bowl combine orzo, sausage, broccoli rabe, pignoli nuts, softened veggie mixture, and cheese. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.

6. Fill peppers with mixture. Heat the same pan and add a little oil. Place peppers into the pan and let them cook for a few minutes. Add tomato sauce and season it with salt and pepper. Cover and let come to a boil. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 40 minutes or until peppers are fork tender. Sprinkle cheese on top and serve with some sauce on the plate and over the peppers.

Enjoy!