Broccoli Rabe With Sweet Italian Sausage Recipes

BROCCOLI RABE WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Place the sausage in a 9-inch pie plate, and cover with a paper towel. Cook at 100 percent power in a high-power oven for 11 minutes. Remove from oven and uncover. Pour off liquid and set aside.
• Place the broccoli rabe in a 14-by-9-by-2-inch oval dish. Toss with the olive oil and red-pepper flakes, if using. Cover tightly with microwave plastic wrap. Cook for 8 minutes. Prick plastic to release steam.
• Remove from oven and uncover. Stir in salt, pepper and cooked sausage. Serve alone or over cooked pasta.

ORECCHIETTE WITH BROCCOLI RABE, CLAMS AND SWEET ITALIAN SAUSAGE

Steps:

• 1. Set a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a boil.
• 2. Take another large saucepan (big enough to hold clams) and set over medium heat. Add a 2-count of olive oil and loose pork sausage. Cook over medium heat to render fat and get color on the sausage. Once the sausage is browned on all sides, remove and place onto a paper towel-lined plate. To the same pan, add the chopped garlic, red chili flakes and thyme leaves and cook until just fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Turn up the heat, dump in the cleaned and scrubbed clams and white wine. Cover with a lid and steam for about 10 minutes until the clams open.
• 3. While clams are steaming, cook the pasta. Add orecchiette to boiling water and cook. With about 3 minutes left, add the broccoli rabe to the same pot and cook until tender. Drain pasta and broccoli and place into the saucepan with the browned sausage. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and stir to combine. Place into a large serving bowl.
• 4. Now return to the clams. Remove the lid and add the cubes of cold butter and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil as you stir. Once the sauce thickens slightly give it a final seasoning with pepper and a little salt (go easy on the salt) then take the whole pan and pour on top of the orecchiette and broccoli rabe. Shower with fresh Parmesan and parsley.

BONE-IN PORK ROAST WITH BROCCOLI RABE, SWEET ITALIAN SAUSAGE, AND ROASTED PEACHES

Steps:

• Have butcher cut the chine bone in between each rib of the pork roast to make carving easier. Leave the fat cap on for added moisture and flavor. Line a large stockpot or bucket with a plastic bag. Pour water into the bag and dissolve salt and brown sugar. Add peppercorns and a few thyme sprigs. Place the pork roast in the bag of brine. Tie the bag closed so the pork is submerged. Refrigerate for 6 hours, the brine will tenderize the meat. Remove pork from the brine and dry thoroughly with paper towels.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lay thyme sprigs all over the pork roast, season with salt and pepper, then secure with butcher's twine to help hold the shape. Coat a roasting pan with a little olive oil and set on 2 burners over high heat until almost smoking. Sear the pork, fat side down, until caramelized. Turn the roast to brown all sides, this should take about 10 minutes. To flavor the pork drippings, scatter carrots, garlic, onion, shallots and more thyme sprigs in the pan, then transfer the roast to oven. Roast until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the roast registers 150 degrees F, approximately 1 hour.
• Heat olive oil in a large deep skillet over medium heat. Brown the sausage links on all sides until cooked through. Remove the links from the pan and slice on a bias. Add slivered garlic, red pepper flakes and fennel seed, stir to incorporate. Return the sausage back to the pan, along with broccoli rabe and chicken broth. Saute with the stock for 5 minutes until the rabe is wilted.
• Whisk together balsamic vinegar, honey, mustard seed, tarragon, and about 1/4 cup olive oil. Slice peaches in half lengthwise and remove pits. Pour the marinade over the peaches, tossing to coat. Place peaches cut side down in a baking pan and roast for 12 to 15 minutes until soft.
• Remove the pork to a cutting board and let it rest while preparing the pan sauce. Discard the aromatic vegetables from the roasting pan, set pan on 2 burners over medium heat. Deglaze with apple juice, scraping up the brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Reduce by a third. Season with salt and pepper; whisk in butter to smooth out.
• Cut the twine and carve the roast. Serve family style on a platter with broccoli rabe, sausage, and roasted peaches. Drizzle sauce over meat before serving.

BROCCOLI RABE WITH HOT ITALIAN SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli rabe and blanch for 1 minute. Drain and set aside.
• Place the sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, breaking up the sausage with the back of a fork until crumbly. When the sausage begins to release its fat, add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until the sausage is browned, about 7 minutes. Pour off as much of the fat as possible.
• Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the chicken broth. Lay the broccoli rabe over the sausage, season with the salt and pepper, cover with a lid and cook until the broccoli rabe is tender, about 10 minutes.
• Divide the broccoli rabe among 4 plates. Spoon the sausage and broth over it and serve immediately with roasted potatoes.

ITALIAN-STYLE BROCCOLI RABE

Steps:

• Combine 1/2 cup olive oil, garlic, anchovy paste, and salt in the bowl of a small food processor; blend into a paste.
• Remove leaves from broccoli rabe and cut off and discard the bottom 1/4 of the stalks. Cut remaining stalks into pieces.
• Fill a large bowl with ice and cold water. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add broccoli rabe and cook uncovered for 1 minute. Drain in a colander and immediately immerse in the ice water for several minutes to stop the cooking process. Drain. Wrap broccoli rabe in cheesecloth, place in a strainer, and run under water for 10 minutes. Periodically press the rabe to "wring out" any bitter fluids. Pat dry and transfer to a resealable bag. Add anchovy paste and crushed red peppers; marinate for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, toast pine nuts in a skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently until browned and fragrant but not burned, about 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside. Reduce heat to medium-low and add 1 teaspoon olive oil to the skillet. Add broccoli rabe and cook until fork tender and lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
• Transfer to a plate, top with pine nuts, and drizzle with lemon juice.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE WITH FARFALLE AND BROCCOLI RABE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the farfalle pasta, and cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes; drain.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the Italian sausage until crumbly and no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, and continue cooking until the sausage begins to brown, about 5 minutes more. Pour off the excess grease, then pour in the chicken broth and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil over high heat, then add the broccoli rabe, and cover. Cook until the broccoli rabe is tender, about 4 minutes.
• When the broccoli rabe is done, stir in the butter, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper until the meat sauce has thickened. Toss with the farfalle and serve.

SAUTEED POLENTA WITH SWEET ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND BROCCOLI RABE

Steps:

• On a lightly oiled baking sheet spread warm polenta about 3/4 thick and cool to room temperature. Polenta may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered.
• In a large non-stick skillet heat 1 tablespoon oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and brown sausage. Add water and cook sausage, covered, turning occasionally, until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove lid and cook mixture until any remaining water is evaporated. Transfer sausage with tongs to a bowl and reserve fat remaining in skillet. Cool sausage slightly and slice diagonally.
• Cut polenta into 1 1/2-inch diamond shapes or squares. In skillet sauté polenta in 2 batches in reserved fat over moderately high heat, turning occasionally, adding additional oil to skillet if necessary, until golden on both sides. Transfer polenta as cooked with a slotted spoon to bowl with sausage and cover.
• In skillet heat remaining tablespoon oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and sauté broccoli rabe with salt to taste, stirring, until just wilted. Add garlic paste and sauté, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in remaining ingredients and simmer, stirring, until tomato paste is incorporated and sauce is slightly thickened. Add sausage and polenta and cook until heated through.
• Serve polenta sprinkled with Parmesan.
• To make basic polenta:
• In a heavy saucepan bring water and salt to a boil and gradually whisk in cornmeal in a thin stream. Cook polenta over moderately low heat (it should be barely boiling), stirring constantly, until very thick and pulls away from side of pan, about 40 minutes for cornmeal and about 15 minutes for instant polenta. Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm. Stir polenta just before using. Polenta will keep warm, covered, about 20 minutes. Makes about 3 cups.
• Note: In the traditional method of cooking polenta, forty minutes of constant stirring is required to achieve a lumpless texture and fragrant flavor. However, Italian-food expert Marcella Hazan has developed a method that involves very little stirring during this time. We believe it produces a very good polenta, one nearly as flavorful and smooth as the traditional procedure. To make satisfactory polenta in a real hurry, an imported instant polenta (precooked cornmeal) is available. This cooks in a mere fifteen minutes.