Broccoli Rabe and Italian Sausages
Also known as rapini, broccoli rabe is not just the scraggly outcroppings of a broccoli plant or baby broccoli, like you might think. In fact, the leafy, cruciferous vegetable is closely related to the turnip. The deliciously bitter stems, leaves and nutty, broccoli-esque buds are all edible and commonly used in Italian cooking.
Don’t be daunted by the vegetable’s wild and unruly appearance; broccoli rabe is easy to cook. It’s great simply blanched and sautéed in olive oil, roasted until crisp or even pureed into a piquant pesto. Here, is a fantastic recipe for broccoli rabe with sausage. Not only is is a great main dish that is quick and easy to make, but it also makes for a delicious filling for an Italian style sandwich. To make this dish vegan, just eliminate the sausages.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
4 ounces Italian sausage links
1/4 cup water
1 pound broccoli rabe, washed and trimmed
3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and diced.
Pinch of crushed red pepper
Salt, to taste
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 ° F.
To a large cast iron skillet, add 1/4 cup of water and the sausage links. Place the skillet in the oven and bake the sausages for 15 to 20 minutes until no longer pink.
In a pot of salted boiling water, cook the broccoli rabe until nearly tender, 4 minutes. Drain and cool under cold water. Squeeze and pat dry, then chop.
Remove the skillet from the oven and place the sausages on a cutting board and slice on a diagonal into 1-inch rounds.
In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the sausage and cook over moderately high heat,. Add 3 more tablespoons of oil, the garlic, bell pepper and red pepper to the skillet and cook for 1 minute. Add the broccoli rabe and cook, stirring, until tender, 3 minutes. Season with salt. Add the lemon juice and toss. Serve with mozzarella cheese sprinkled on top.
Hello Friends!
All photographs and content, excepted where noted, are copyright protected. Please do not use these photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish this photograph and all other contents, then we kindly ask that you link back to this site. We are eternally grateful and we appreciate your support of this blog.