Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

I was in the mood for a pasta dish so I opened up my Everyday Italian cookbook by Giada De Laurentiis and decided to make orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe. Since I live in North Florida and shop in South Georgia I had to make a few minor alterations to the recipe. First, I substituted whole wheat penne for the orecchiette. Second, since I could not find any broccoli rabe I used fresh spinach. Last, I grabbed a one pound package of Southern breakfast sausage since I could not find Italian sausage.  This last decision turned out to be a big mistake.

As y’all will note the recipe below does not call for draining the fat from the sausage before mixing in the pasta. The first time I made this dish on Sunday night I used a roll of fat in place of the Italian sausage, and this dish was like eating a bowl of grease. I could also feel my arteries hardening as I ate and Becks did not care for it at all. I was very disappointed that I had messed up the recipe.

Tonight I gave it another shot and threw my first attempt into the garbage. Upon disposal, I had to use a paper towel to scrape the congealed sausage grease from my large past bowl. It was gross.

Happily, my second attempt at this recipe was a success! It was so easy to make and the grease content was significantly cut down using the Italian sausage.  Overall, this dish had a nice bit of spice and tasted great. I will definitely make this recipe again using the correct ingredients!

Ingredients:
- 2 bunches broccoli rabe, stems trimmed
- 1 pound orecchiette pasta
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound Italian-style sausage, casings removed
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- Pinch dried crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Cook the broccoli rabe in a large pot of boiling salted water until crisp tender, about 1 minute. Transfer the broccoli rabe to a large bowl of ice water to cool, saving the cooking water. Bring the reserved cooking water back to a boil.

Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up into pieces with a spoon, until browned and juices form, about 12 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, when the reserved cooking water is boiling, add the orecchiette and cook until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.

Strain the broccoli rabe and add it to the pan with the sausage mixture and toss to coat with the juices.

Add the pasta to the skillet. Stir in the Parmesan and serve immediately.