Broccoli Rabe, Italian Sausage and Gemelli Pasta

Second week in a row someone I am only very slightly connected to has died. Hopefully this will be the last one for a long time. I woke up with a scratchy throat and a heavy feeling in my sinuses. My trusty old neti pot helped a little bit. Pookie heard me choking in mid-pour and asked what was up, “I am waterboarding myself,” I replied. I am hoping tomorrow I will be fine. This evening I made Pookie’s favorite meal, Broccoli Rabe, Italian Sausage and Gemelli Pasta. It was delicious and it’s kinda my own recipe. It’s based on a recipe by Proud Italian Cooking. Here are my directions:

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. of Spicy Italian Sausage, either in patty form or if in a link, rip off the skin and crumble it.
1 lb. of Broccoli Rabe
1lb. Gemelli Pasta
4 tsp of chopped Garlic
1/4 cup of Olive Oil
1 can of Cannelloni Beans
Grated Romano Cheese
Reserved Broccoli Rabe Water
A splash of Chicken Broth

Broccoli Rabe DIRECTIONS:

1. Boil Broccoli Rabe for 10 minutes. Rinse (but save some of the water). Place in bowl full of cold water for about 5 minutes.
2. Saute your Broccoli Rabe in oil along with the crushed garlic for about 10 minutes
3. Take off heat and get ready to start the sausage. (At this point I saute more garlic in a small sauce pan and then I add the Cannelloni Beans. I also start boiling water for the Gemelli Pasta.)

Sausage DIRECTIONS
1. Saute sausage in oil along with the chopped garlic, till no longer pink. I chop at the sausage with my spatula so it’s all crumbly.
2. Add in about a 1/2 cup of the broccoli rabe water and 1/2 cup of chicken stock.
3. Add cooked beans, and cooked broccoli rabe.
4. Cook pasta and toss in.
5. Season with salt, pepper, and the grated romano, and maybe a little extra olive oil.

The picture of the dish on the Proud Italian Website doesn’t look anything like the actual dish as I make it. Because I really cook down the broccoli rabe, there’s an almost pesto-quality to it. I serve it with Italian Bread. It’s delish. Give it a go and report back! Oh, and it tastes better the next day.