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.  

Chicken Angelo

Hi everyone! I want to welcome to all my new readers.  It's so nice when new people stop by and of course my regular readers too! It's so nice to know that there's someone out there that reads this.  If there's anything that you're looking for that I haven't posted yet, feel free to reach out to me through email or through the comments section and if there isn't anything I would still love it if you said, Hi! :-)

Remember the North End Cookbook that I told you all about recently?  I decided to try another recipe from it on Sunday.  I changed it a lot but the flavors are still the same.  The original recipe feeds 12 people and uses two cut up chickens.  I wanted to use boneless and skinless chicken and so I needed to adjust a few things.  The original recipe called for 12 tomatoes and I rather wait for them to be in season before I waste money on so many tomatoes out of season that will be high priced and low flavor.  I used diced tomatoes as a substitution and it worked very well.  I kept true to the recipe in the way I built the flavors in a similar way she did.

Chicken Angelo

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 lb. sweet Italian sausage
3 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
3 boneless, skinless, chicken thighs
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 stick unsalted butter (I only used about 6 Tbsp throughout the recipe)
1 8oz. can artichoke hearts in water
1 package cremini mushrooms, sliced or quartered
7-8 cloves garlic, chopped
2 large onions, sliced
2 shallots, diced
1- 16 oz. can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup kalamata olives, roughly chopped
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
1 tsp. dried basil
pinch dried oregano
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 tbsp. flour
1 lb. pasta (such as penne, cellentani, rigatoni, etc.)
Romano cheese, for sprinkling

Directions:

1.  Slice chicken and sausage into large bite sized pieces. Season with salt and pepper.

2.  Heat 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and 1 tbsp of butter in a large skillet.  Brown chicken and sausage in two batches (make sure to mix up the sausage and chicken in each batch so the chicken gets flavored by the sausage).  Add more oil/butter as necessary.  Remove from pan and place into a baking dish. Do not wipe out skillet.

3.  In same skillet, melt another tablespoon of butter.  Reduce heat a bit and add sliced onions and half of the garlic to the pan.  Saute gently and allow to cook until soft.    Add diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, oregano, basil and parsley.  Toss lightly.  Let cook for about 10 -15 minutes or until the tomatoes begin to break down and release their juices.  Pour sauce over the chicken in the pan.  Sprinkle with wine. Toss lightly.  Return pan to heat.

4.  While sauce is cooking, prepare mushrooms.  In same skillet melt 2 tbsp butter over medium heat. Add mushrooms and remainder of garlic.  Cook until mushrooms brown and soften and garlic is soft but not burnt.  If garlic is browing too quickly, turn heat down to medium low.  When cooked, remove mushrooms with a slotted spoon and add to pan with chicken.  Drain artichoke hearts and reserve some of the liquid.  Add artichokes and chopped olives to baking pan. 

5.  Again in the same skillet add 1 more tablespoon of butter to remaining butter and oil in the pan.  When melted add flour and stir with a wooden spoon.  Slowly add chicken broth to the pan (a little at a time to prevent lumps) while stirring.  Allow to thicken.  You will want a thin paste, if it's too thick, thin it out with a little bit of the water from the artichoke hearts.  When you have reached the desired consistency add to chicken.  Toss lightly. 

6.  Bake in at 350 for 15-20 minutes to be sure that chicken is cooked through and all flavors merge.  As long as your chicken wasn't cut up too small, the chicken will not dry out.  There is plenty of liquid in the pan. 

7.  While chicken is baking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Cook pasta.  Add pasta to the baking pan and toss together.  You can serve it right from there or transfer to a serving bowl.  Sprinkle with cheese and serve with crusty bread for dipping. 

This meal is hearty and filling.  Feel free to add in any veggies that you like, zucchini and eggplant would be a great addition.

Click here for a printable recipe of Chicken Angelo.

Chicken Angelo

Hi everyone! I want to welcome to all my new readers.  It's so nice when new people stop by and of course my regular readers too! It's so nice to know that there's someone out there that reads this.  If there's anything that you're looking for that I haven't posted yet, feel free to reach out to me through email or through the comments section and if there isn't anything I would still love it if you said, Hi! :-)

Remember the North End Cookbook that I told you all about recently?  I decided to try another recipe from it on Sunday.  I changed it a lot but the flavors are still the same.  The original recipe feeds 12 people and uses two cut up chickens.  I wanted to use boneless and skinless chicken and so I needed to adjust a few things.  The original recipe called for 12 tomatoes and I rather wait for them to be in season before I waste money on so many tomatoes out of season that will be high priced and low flavor.  I used diced tomatoes as a substitution and it worked very well.  I kept true to the recipe in the way I built the flavors in a similar way she did.

Chicken Angelo

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 lb. sweet Italian sausage
3 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
3 boneless, skinless, chicken thighs
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 stick unsalted butter (I only used about 6 Tbsp throughout the recipe)
1 8oz. can artichoke hearts in water
1 package cremini mushrooms, sliced or quartered
7-8 cloves garlic, chopped
2 large onions, sliced
2 shallots, diced
1- 16 oz. can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup kalamata olives, roughly chopped
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
1 tsp. dried basil
pinch dried oregano
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 tbsp. flour
1 lb. pasta (such as penne, cellentani, rigatoni, etc.)
Romano cheese, for sprinkling

Directions:

1.  Slice chicken and sausage into large bite sized pieces. Season with salt and pepper.

2.  Heat 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and 1 tbsp of butter in a large skillet.  Brown chicken and sausage in two batches (make sure to mix up the sausage and chicken in each batch so the chicken gets flavored by the sausage).  Add more oil/butter as necessary.  Remove from pan and place into a baking dish. Do not wipe out skillet.

3.  In same skillet, melt another tablespoon of butter.  Reduce heat a bit and add sliced onions and half of the garlic to the pan.  Saute gently and allow to cook until soft.    Add diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, oregano, basil and parsley.  Toss lightly.  Let cook for about 10 -15 minutes or until the tomatoes begin to break down and release their juices.  Pour sauce over the chicken in the pan.  Sprinkle with wine. Toss lightly.  Return pan to heat.

4.  While sauce is cooking, prepare mushrooms.  In same skillet melt 2 tbsp butter over medium heat. Add mushrooms and remainder of garlic.  Cook until mushrooms brown and soften and garlic is soft but not burnt.  If garlic is browing too quickly, turn heat down to medium low.  When cooked, remove mushrooms with a slotted spoon and add to pan with chicken.  Drain artichoke hearts and reserve some of the liquid.  Add artichokes and chopped olives to baking pan. 

5.  Again in the same skillet add 1 more tablespoon of butter to remaining butter and oil in the pan.  When melted add flour and stir with a wooden spoon.  Slowly add chicken broth to the pan (a little at a time to prevent lumps) while stirring.  Allow to thicken.  You will want a thin paste, if it's too thick, thin it out with a little bit of the water from the artichoke hearts.  When you have reached the desired consistency add to chicken.  Toss lightly. 

6.  Bake in at 350 for 15-20 minutes to be sure that chicken is cooked through and all flavors merge.  As long as your chicken wasn't cut up too small, the chicken will not dry out.  There is plenty of liquid in the pan. 

7.  While chicken is baking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Cook pasta.  Add pasta to the baking pan and toss together.  You can serve it right from there or transfer to a serving bowl.  Sprinkle with cheese and serve with crusty bread for dipping. 

This meal is hearty and filling.  Feel free to add in any veggies that you like, zucchini and eggplant would be a great addition.

Click here for a printable recipe of Chicken Angelo.

Sausage, Pepper and Potato Soup (stew or stoup)

I can't help but chuckle at the title because I know that a lot of my readers and blogger friends despise Rachael Ray.  I know she's quirky and annoys people but that doesn't stop me from trying her recipes and it shouldn't stop you either. I like her and more importantly, this dish is delicious!  I added a potato and handful of Trader Joe's frozen sliced peppers (in addition to the cubanelle's), a can of roman beans, some crushed red pepper (since I didn't use spicy sausage) and Italian seasoning.  I loved it!  I can't wait to eat the leftovers for lunch today!



Sausage, Pepper and Potato Soup

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/sausage-peppers-and-onions-stoup-recipe/index.html

Ingredients:


3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 pounds hot or sweet Italian sausage, cut into small pieces or smashed with a masher or spoon
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 to 4 cubanelle peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
2 medium-large onions, thinly sliced
1 large potato, diced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 cups chicken stock
2 (15-ounce) cans or 1 (28-ounce) can crushed or diced fire roasted tomatoes
1 can roman beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley leaves
1/2 cup basil leaves, torn
1 tsp Italian seasoning
crushed red pepper to taste (if you use spicy sausage you don't need this)
1 cup Romano cheese

Directions:

Heat extra-virgin olive oil in deep skillet, add sausage and brown a few minutes then add potato, garlic, peppers, onions and cook until soft, 6 to 7 minutes more.

Deglaze pan with vinegar abd stir in stock, tomatoes, basil, Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer, cook 10 -15 minutes and then add beans and cook for another 5-10 minutes until potatoes are tender.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with grated cheese on top.

Sausage, Pepper and Potato Soup (stew or stoup)

I can't help but chuckle at the title because I know that a lot of my readers and blogger friends despise Rachael Ray.  I know she's quirky and annoys people but that doesn't stop me from trying her recipes and it shouldn't stop you either. I like her and more importantly, this dish is delicious!  I added a potato and handful of Trader Joe's frozen sliced peppers (in addition to the cubanelle's), a can of roman beans, some crushed red pepper (since I didn't use spicy sausage) and Italian seasoning.  I loved it!  I can't wait to eat the leftovers for lunch today!



Sausage, Pepper and Potato Soup

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/sausage-peppers-and-onions-stoup-recipe/index.html

Ingredients:


3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 pounds hot or sweet Italian sausage, cut into small pieces or smashed with a masher or spoon
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 to 4 cubanelle peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
2 medium-large onions, thinly sliced
1 large potato, diced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 cups chicken stock
2 (15-ounce) cans or 1 (28-ounce) can crushed or diced fire roasted tomatoes
1 can roman beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley leaves
1/2 cup basil leaves, torn
1 tsp Italian seasoning
crushed red pepper to taste (if you use spicy sausage you don't need this)
1 cup Romano cheese

Directions:

Heat extra-virgin olive oil in deep skillet, add sausage and brown a few minutes then add potato, garlic, peppers, onions and cook until soft, 6 to 7 minutes more.

Deglaze pan with vinegar abd stir in stock, tomatoes, basil, Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer, cook 10 -15 minutes and then add beans and cook for another 5-10 minutes until potatoes are tender.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with grated cheese on top.

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!

Mom's Sausage and Peppers

This is the BEST Sausage and Peppers recipe you will ever find! I'm telling you, it doesn't get better than this! Not just because she's my mom but because it really is that good!!! The sauce is so flavorful you'll want to soak your bread in it! My mom uses sweet Italian sausage but you can use hot if you like or a mixture of both. You could also use a combination of red, yellow and orange peppers (not green), whatever looks good that day or whatever you have on hand.

Mom's Sausage and Peppers

Serves 8

Ingredients:

12 pieces Sweet Italian Sausage, each sliced into 6 pieces
5 large red bell peppers, cleaned and sliced into thin strips
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1-28 oz can crushed tomatoes
crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
6 fresh basil, torn ( my mom freezes basil from her garden so she has it all winter)
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

In a large chicken fryer (large surface area with sides about 3 inches high) brown sausage in extra virgin olive oil. Remove from pan, set aside.

Add onions, garlic, basil and crushed red pepper and saute for a few minutes until onions begin to soften and then add peppers. Cook for about 10-15 minutes or until peppers soften. Add browned sausage and stir together with vegetbales. Add crushed tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on medium heat for about 45 minutes.

Serve with some crusty Italian bread sandwich style or for dipping.

Mom's Tip - Cut sausage with a scissor instead of a knife. It cuts through easier without sausage coming out of the casing.

Pasta with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

I know, I know, I've been a bad girl. I haven't posted a recipe in weeks! I've been pretty busy with parties and showers and all kinds of things going on. All happy celebrations so I don't mind it. With all the craziness that went on I did remember to snap a photo so I could blog about this wonderful dish. I made this for Steve's Aunt's Baby Shower last week and everyone liked it which makes me very happy!

Before I go on to post this recipe I just want to say Congratulations Melissa and Salvatore and Congratulations to Dana and Lenny!!! Both couples will be parents for the very first time!!!

Okay so here goes...it's really very easy and you can add as much or as little garlic as you like or even use hot sausage or a mixture of sweet and hot. This recipe was written to feed a crowd but you can certainly make this for one pound of pasta and use only one bunch of broccoli rabe and half the amount of sausage. I hope you like it! I'd love to hear your variation on this very popular dish so feel free to comment!

Pasta with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

Ingredients:

1 lb sweet Italian sausage (6 links)
2 bunches, broccoli rabe
4-5 cloves garlic
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Crushed red pepper, to taste
Salt and peppr
Romano cheese, to taste
2 lbs pasta

Directions:

1. Remove stems from broccoli rabe and discard. Cut into bite sized pieces.
Boil broccoli rabe in a large pot of salted water for about 8-10 minutes. Drain (reserve 2 cups of water) and put into an ice cold water bath to stop the cooking process and set aside.

2. While broccoli rabe is cooking, remove sausage from casing and crumble. Saute sausage in oil with garlic and red pepper, constantly breaking it up. Once sausage is cooked add in broccoli rabe and toss to coat with oil. Let it cook together with a few minutes so the broccoli rabe picks up the flavors. At this point you can refrigerate overnight or until ready to cook the pasta.

3. Boil pasta (chose one that won’t fall apart such as orrechiette, cellantani, cavatappi, etc.) in salted water while reheating sausage and broccoli rabe mixture. Add some reserved water from the broccoli rabe to moisten the mixture. Add cooked pasta and toss while continuing to add more water as needed. It shouldn’t be soupy but should not be dry. Toss with cheese and a little more extra virgin olive oil.

Enjoy!

Pasta with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

I know, I know, I've been a bad girl. I haven't posted a recipe in weeks! I've been pretty busy with parties and showers and all kinds of things going on. All happy celebrations so I don't mind it. With all the craziness that went on I did remember to snap a photo so I could blog about this wonderful dish. I made this for Steve's Aunt's Baby Shower last week and everyone liked it which makes me very happy!

Before I go on to post this recipe I just want to say Congratulations Melissa and Salvatore and Congratulations to Dana and Lenny!!! Both couples will be parents for the very first time!!!

Okay so here goes...it's really very easy and you can add as much or as little garlic as you like or even use hot sausage or a mixture of sweet and hot. This recipe was written to feed a crowd but you can certainly make this for one pound of pasta and use only one bunch of broccoli rabe and half the amount of sausage. I hope you like it! I'd love to hear your variation on this very popular dish so feel free to comment!

Pasta with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

Ingredients:

1 lb sweet Italian sausage (6 links)
2 bunches, broccoli rabe
4-5 cloves garlic
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Crushed red pepper, to taste
Salt and peppr
Romano cheese, to taste
2 lbs pasta

Directions:

1. Remove stems from broccoli rabe and discard. Cut into bite sized pieces.
Boil broccoli rabe in a large pot of salted water for about 8-10 minutes. Drain (reserve 2 cups of water) and put into an ice cold water bath to stop the cooking process and set aside.

2. While broccoli rabe is cooking, remove sausage from casing and crumble. Saute sausage in oil with garlic and red pepper, constantly breaking it up. Once sausage is cooked add in broccoli rabe and toss to coat with oil. Let it cook together with a few minutes so the broccoli rabe picks up the flavors. At this point you can refrigerate overnight or until ready to cook the pasta.

3. Boil pasta (chose one that won’t fall apart such as orrechiette, cellantani, cavatappi, etc.) in salted water while reheating sausage and broccoli rabe mixture. Add some reserved water from the broccoli rabe to moisten the mixture. Add cooked pasta and toss while continuing to add more water as needed. It shouldn’t be soupy but should not be dry. Toss with cheese and a little more extra virgin olive oil.

Enjoy!