Orecchiette con Rapini

In Chicago restaurateur Tony Troiano’s family, Orecchiette con Rapini is a quick, generations-old comfort food from their hometown in the Bari region of Puglia. Featuring the region’s characteristic “ear-shaped” pasta orecchiette (Oh-reh-keh-tee), the recipe combines flavorful olive oil and garlic with slightly bitter rapini (rah-pee-nee) also known as broccoli rabe.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound broccoli rabe
• ½ pound mild Italian sausage
• 1 pound dry orecchiette pasta
• ¹⁄³ cup fall harvest extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
  • Additional olive oil for drizzling

Instructions:

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, wash and rinse broccoli rabe; separate florets and leaves from hard portion of stems. Discard hard stems. Over medium heat, brown Italian sausage until crumbly. Remove from heat and reserve. Once water boils, add broccoli rabe leaves and florets. Cook 1-2 minutes until floret stems soften and color begins to darken. Skim broccoli rabe from boiling water when it reaches “al dente” firmness and set aside.

Add orecchiette pasta to boiling water and cook 8-10 minutes until pasta reaches “al dente” firmness. Strain from water and set aside. Heat olive oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Sauté garlic until it begins to change color and garlic/oil aroma blooms. Stir in sausage, broccoli rabe, and orecchiette. Toss together until well coated. Add salt and pepper to taste. Further enhance aroma by drizzling with additional olive oil. Serve immediately with crusty Italian bread and hearty red wine.

About Orecchiette

This ear-shaped pasta is quintessentially Pugliese (Puhl-yess-ay). Orecchiette’s (Oh-reh-keh-tee) slightly cupped, dime-sized discs are perfect for cradling flavorful sauces. When handmade, orecchiette dough is rolled into ropes. The ends are then pinched off and pressed flat with the thumb. Ridges from the maker’s thumbprint often mimic curves of the human ear.