Italian Sausage With Grilled Broccolini Kale And Lemon Recipes

RIGATONI WITH GRILLED SAUSAGE AND BROCCOLI RABE

Steps:

• Preheat a grill to medium high. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Combine 1/4 cup olive oil, the garlic, lemon zest, red pepper flakes and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl; set aside.
• Toss the broccoli rabe with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and a big pinch of salt; spread out in a grill basket. Transfer to the grill along with the sausages. Cook, turning occasionally, until both are well marked and the sausages are cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a platter.
• Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook as the label directs for al dente. Meanwhile, roughly chop the broccoli rabe. Halve the sausages lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. Cover and keep warm.
• Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain the pasta and add to the bowl with the garlic oil. Add the broccoli rabe, sausages and 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking water; toss well to coat. If the pasta is too dry, add more cooking water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Season with salt. Divide among bowls and top with the oregano and parmesan.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE WITH GRILLED BROCCOLINI, KALE, AND LEMON

Steps:

• Prepare a grill for medium-high, indirect heat (for a gas grill, leave one or two burners off; for a charcoal grill, bank coals on one side of grill); oil grate. Mix almonds, lemon juice, capers, honey, and 4 Tbsp. oil in a small bowl; season dressing with salt and pepper.
• Combine broccolini and kale in a large bowl and drizzle with remaining 1 Tbsp. oil. Toss well to evenly coat vegetables; season with salt.
• Grill sausage over direct heat until browned all over, about 3 minutes per side. Move to indirect heat and continue to cook, turning and rotating occasionally, until cooked through, 8-10 minutes. Transfer to a platter.
• Meanwhile, cook broccolini and kale over direct heat until kale is lightly browned and crisp around the edges and broccolini stem is crisp-tender, about 1 minute for kale and 3 minutes for broccolini. Transfer back to bowl.
• Grill lemon slices over direct heat until lightly browned, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to bowl with broccolini and kale and add half of dressing and half of Pecorino. Toss to combine; season salad with salt and pepper.
• Mound some of the salad on top of the sausage and leave some in the bowl. Drizzle remaining dressing over all of the salad and top with remaining Pecorino.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE WITH BROCCOLI AND COLLARDS (OR KALE)

Steps:

• Put the sausage into a pot. Cover with water and simmer 15 minutes or so while you cope with the veggies.
• Clean and trim the collards. IMO, the best way to wash greens is to put them into a large, deep sink and slosh them around in the water like a tub of laundry. Tip -- if they are very muddy rinse them in a bucket outdoors first to keep the dirt out of your drains.
• Chop the collards and, if using the cherry tomatoes, cut them in half.
• Clean the broccoli and cut it in bite-sized pieces.
• Peel the onions. Quarter them lengthwise then slice them thickly.
• In a large, cast iron pan - a chicken fryer, a dutch oven, or a stir-fry pan -- saute the onions and broccoli until about half cooked.
• Add about 1/2 cup of the broth from the sausage then start adding handfuls of collards or kale to the pan. Stir frequently, adding additional handfuls as it cooks down, until its all in the pan.
• As you cook the greens, grill or fry the pre-cooked sausages to brown them nicely.
• Once the collards are all in the pan, steam-saute the mixture until the collards are well-cooked, but not grey or mushy.
• Add the tomatoes and stir around until they are well-heated.
• Serve the sausage on top of or beside the veggies, sprinkling both with Parmesan to taste.
• Pass vinegar at the table if desired since many people feel that no dish of collards is complete without it.
• Note -- It makes a good potluck dish if you quarter the sausage and toss with the veggies before topping the whole pan with Parmesan.