Sausage, Broccoli Rabe, And Fennel Pasta- 2 Recipes Come Together to Make 1 Delicious Dish.
When we make Pasta with Italian Sausage, it is usually one of 2 recipes we use. Pasta with Sausage and Fennel or Pasta Sausage with Broccoli Rabe (or Broccolini). We had the ingredients for both so why not? All the flavors work wonderfully together. As a result we ended up with one perfectly balanced pasta dish. In short, a new favorite pasta dish was born!
Some Preparation Notes:
For the Sausage:
A good quality Hot Italian Sausage is important. It should be highly flavorful. Remove the casing prior to cooking. Of course if you do not eat pork you may substitute it for a chicken, turkey, or meatless variety. Make sure whichever you use it contains fennel seeds as one of the ingredients. Fennel seed is important to the flavor profile of Italian sausage.
Broccoli Rabe
Also known as Rapini is actually not a type of broccoli at all. The flower buds resemble broccoli but do not form tight clusters. The flavor is slightly bitter and more similar to leafy cooking greens. This makes it a perfect counterpoint to the fennel bulb. When blanching, cook it in the same water you will be cooking the pasta in, as it will flavor the water. Cook rapini until just tender. Place the Rabe in an ice water bath to stop the cooking to insure it remains tender.
Fennel Bulb
Looking like a cross between dill, an onion, and celery the fennel bulb is an underused root vegetable. The bulb has a mild licorice flavor when used raw. Fennel takes on a sweet fresh taste when cooked. Prep the bulb by cutting off the thick stalks and cut in half. Remove and discard the root core. Slice the rest as you would an onion. Save the tender fronds to use as garnish. Please do not skip using the fennel as it rounds out the flavor of the entire recipe.
Please rate and let us know if you make this recipe in the comments below.
Contact us for information.
Â
Sausage, Broccoli Rabe, and Fennel Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 lbs dried pasta such as rotini or rigatoni
- 1-1/4 lbs. Hot Italian sausage casings removed
- 1 large sweet white onion
- 1/2 lbs fennel bulb leafy fronds reserved
- 1/2 cup dry white wine Pino Grigio preferred
- 1 bunch broccoli rabe cut into 2 inch pieces
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- sea salt
- 3/4 cup pecorino cheese grated
- 1 tsp black pepper or to taste
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper
Instructions
- Bring 6 quarts of water to boil. Add 3 tablespoons of sea salt.
- Chop the broccoli rabe bunch into halves or thirds. Add to the boiling water and blanche 2 -3 minutes until tender but not fully cooked. Remove broccoli rabe and immerse in iced water stop the cooking Remove with a slotted spoon to colander set aside in a large bowl.
- Add the pasta to the same boiling water that the broccoli rabe was blanched in.
- Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large (12-14- inch) skillet over medium-high heat. Break up the sausage into bite size pieces and add to the pan. Cook until the sausage is cooked and browned. Scoop out the sausage to a plate.
- Pour the wine in the pan and let it bubble for a minute, while scraping up the brown juices. Lower the heat and add more olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan, sweet onion and fennel, along with 1 teaspoon salt. Cook without browning (adjust the heat if necessary), until the vegetables are tender and translucent. While the pasta continues to cooks, stir the garlic and crushed chili to taste into the pan with the fennel. Scoop out about 1/4 cup of the boiling pasta water and add to the pan to loosen the sauce.
- When the pasta is al dente, drain, reserving another 1/4 cup or so of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the pan along with the broccoli rabe and stir everything together over low heat. Drizzle in more water and olive oil as needed to keep it saucy (but not watery).
- Serve the pasta immediately while hot in bowls, sprinkled with lightly chopped fennel frond tops, and the cheese.
