baked pasta with broccoli rabe and sausage (smitten kitchen blog)

This is easy and so fucking delicious. I used a mix of hot and mild italian sausage which was a nice, more flavorful combo.
Link with pics here http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2013/09/baked-pasta-with-broccoli-rabe-and-sausage/.

Important: This is my dream of a baked pasta dish — not too heavy, not to rich or gooey, tons of crunchy edges. As you might see in the photos above, it’s on the firm side. If you’d like a baked pasta with more sauce, which I expect most of you will, you’ll want to use 1 1/2 times the bechamel and cheese below.

Broccoli rabe (also called raab or rapini) is a leafy green vegetable with buds that somewhat resemble broccoli. It’s slightly bitter and holds up well to cooking. If you can’t find it, regular broccoli or broccolini will work here as well; they will only need 3 and 2 minutes respectively of boiling time with the pasta to keep it semi-crisp. If you’d like to make this without meat, the sausage can definitely be omitted. You could add some lightly sauteed chunky brown mushrooms for extra bulk, as well.

The pasta shape I used here is called toscani and it’s from the brand Seggiano. I have found it at Whole Foods and, if you’re in the East Village, Commodities Natural Market on 1st Ave. (plus I’m sure other stores). When I can’t get, it I use Barilla’s similar campanelle or seriously any chunky pasta you like to bake with.

Pasta and assembly
1 pound chunky pasta of your choice (I love bell shapes; see above for details)
1 bundle broccoli rabe (see above for options), stems and leaves cut into 1-inch segments
1 pound Italian sausage (sweet or spicy pork or chicken), casings removed
2/3 cup grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese
6 ounces mozzarella, cut into small cubes

Bechamel
2 cups milk, full fat is ideal
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon table salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
Few gratings fresh nutmeg

Cook the pasta and rabe: Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add pasta and five minutes before its cooking time is up, add the broccoli rabe. It will seem like too much for the water, but with a stir or two, the rabe should wilt and cook alongside the pasta. Drain the broccoli rabe and pasta together and place in a large bowl.

Cook your sausage: Meanwhile, heat 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large, wide saucepan (you will use this for the bechamel in a few minutes; you could also use your pasta pot, once it is drained) over medium heat. When hot, add the sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until it starts to brown, about five minutes. Remove with slotted spoon or spatula, leaving any fat behind. Eyeball the drippings (pork sausage will leave some; chicken usually does not) — use one tablespoon less butter next if it looks like there’s a tablespoon there. Any less, don’t worry about adjusting the butter.

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Make the bechamel: Melt your butter in same saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, add your flour and stir it into the butter until smooth. Cook the mixture together for a minute, stirring constantly. Pour in a small drizzle of your milk, whisking constantly into the butter-flour mixture until smooth. Continue to drizzle a very small amount at a time, whisking constantly. Once you’ve added a little over half of your milk, you’ll find that you have more of a thick sauce or batter, and you can start adding the milk in larger splashes, being sure to keep mixing. Once all of the milk is added, add the salt, garlic, nutmeg, and few grinds of black pepper, and bring the mixture to a lower simmer and cook it, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

Assemble and bake: Add the sausage and bechamel to the bowl with the pasta and broccoli rabe. Stir in mozzarella and half of grated parmesan or pecorino until combined. Pour into a lasagna pan, deep 9×13-inch baking dish* or 3-quart casserole dish and coat with remaining parmesan or pecorino. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until the edges and craggy points are nicely bronzed.

Eat warm. Reheat as needed.

Penne with steamed asparagus, basil, and ricotta

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 pounds asparagus

1 1/3 cups ricotta cheese

2/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

½ cup minced fresh basil leaves

½ tsp salt

½ tsp freshly ground pepper

1 pound penne pasta

Directions:

Bring 4 quarts of salted water to boil in a large pot for cooking pasta.

Snap off the tough ends from the asparagus spears. Cut the spears in half lengthwise, then slice them on the bias into 1-inch pieces. Steam the asparagus until just tender, about 2 minutes. Set them aside.

Combine ricotta and Parmesan cheese, basil, salt and pepper in bowl. Set aside.

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Just before the pasta is done, carefully remove 1/3 cup cooking liquid and stir into ricotta mixture. The cheese sauce should be smooth and creamy.

Drain the pasta, making sure that some water still clings to the noodles. Toss the hot pasta with the ricotta mixture and the asparagus. Mix well to coat the pasta with the sauce.

Lime Marinated Chicken over “Creamed” Corn

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 8 oz each), split kernels from 6 large ears of corn

½ cup low-fat milk

1 ¼ tsp salt

freshly ground pepper to taste

4 tsp chopped fresh cilantro

1 tsp jalapeno pepper

½ tsp grated lemon zest

1 tsp oil

Directions:

Place 4 tablespoons of the lime juice in a small, shallow dish. Add chicken and turn to coat on both sides. Marinate for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, place half of the corn in a food processor and pulse just enough to chop coarsely. Scrape into medium saucepan. Put the remained corn in the food processor with milk. Process until pureed. Add to the saucepan.

Place the pan over medium heat and simmer, stirring often, until the mixture is thick, about 10 minutes. Season with 1 tsp. of the salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm.

Preheat a grill or broiler. Remove the chicken from the lime juice and grill or broil until just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. While the chicken is cooking, stir together the remaining lime juice and salt, cilantro, jalapeno, lime zest and olive oil.

Divide the corn mixture among 4 plates, placing it in the center. Lay a piece of chicken over the corn and spoon the cilantro mixture on top.

Oven-baked Turkey Fajitas

Ingredients:

Lime-vinegar marinade

(Mix ¼ cup lime juice, 1 tablespoon balsamic or red wine vinegar, 1 clove garlic minced or pressed, ½ teaspoon honey, and ¼ tsp. ground coriander, ¼ tsp. ground cumin)

1 pound turkey breast tenderloins, rinsed

1 large (about 8 oz.) green bell pepper

1 large red onion

1 tablespoon salad oil

4 warm flour tortillas

lime wedges

Directions:

Pour marinade into a 1 gallon zip-lock bag or large bowl. Add turkey, mix well, and seal bag or cover bowl. Chill at least 20 minutes or up to 1 day, mix often.

Stem, seed, and thinly slice bell pepper and onion. Combine vegetables in a lightly oiled 10 by 15 inch rimmed pan. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes. Push vegetables to side of pan, lift turkey from marinade and lay in pan, save marinade. Spread vegetables around meat.

Frequently baste meat and vegetables with marinade, bake until turkey is no longer pink in the thickest part, about 20 minutes. Turn vegetables often.

Thinly slice turkey and divide equally with vegetables among tortillas.

Serves 4.

Pasta with goat cheese, asparagus, and chicken sausage

I made this recipe for dinner last night and it was delicious. I made a couple of small tweaks to it--I didn't use butter and just cooked the pasta in water with olive oil. I also added some slided cherry tomatoes (not cooked, just tossed them in to the pasta). It was very tasty, and I think the idea of adding a bit of the pasta water to the pasta when you're doing pasta with goat cheese is actually a really smart idea, it makes it into much more of a sauce than it otherwise would be.

Pasta with Goat Cheese, Asparagus, and Chicken Sausage
serves 4
adapted from Everyday Food: Fresh Flavor Fast

• 2 bunches of asparagus (2 pounds), tough ends removed
• olive oil
• 3 Tablespoon unsalted butter cut into small pieces
• kosher salt and ground black pepper
• 4 links Roasted Garlic Chicken Sausage (optional)
• 12 ounces short pasta shapes
• 5 ounces fresh goat cheese, softened
• 2 Tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2-3 Tablespoons snipped fresh chives, for garnish

Preheat oven to 450. Toss asparagus with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and place them on a baking sheet. Slice chicken sausage into 1-inch pieces, and place on the baking sheet alongside the asparagus. Roast until tender, tossing the asparagus and turning the sausage, about 10-15 minutes. Slice asparagus into 2-inch pieces.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 Tablespoon of salt, and cook the pasta until al dente. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the cooking water, and drain the pasta.

Whisk together the goat cheese, butter, Parmesan, and 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Season with salt and pepper, and whisk until smooth.

Return the pasta to the pot, and toss with the goat-cheese mixture, asparagus, and chicken sausage. Add pasta water a few tablespoons at at time, until a thin sauce coats the pasta.

Divide evenly among shallow bowls, and garnish with chives.

A healthier version of Arroz con Pollo

Arthur and I whipped up this recipe last week by just throwing a bunch of spices into a wok with some veggies, brown rice and chicken (and a pineapple....which I think Arthur then regretted, but I kind of enjoyed). It was very delicious and made plenty for leftovers the next day. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• Chicken
• Brown rice
• 1 can diced or stewed tomatoes (not flavored)
• Bell pepper(s)
• Onion
• Garlic
• mushrooms
• Broccoli
• Cumin
• Tumeric

Directions:

1. Start cooking the brown rice ahead of time--I don't really know exact quantities here so just base it on how much you think you'd eat. I think we made about 1.5 cups of wet rice
2. Bake chicken in oven so that it is fully cooked but not dry. While the chicken is baking, you can begin your stir-fry.
3. Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until it starts to brown slightly
4. Add other vegetables and saute until somewhat cooked, but not completely soggy--you still have to add the chicken and the rice
5. Shred the baked chicken with a fork and toss it into the stir-fry
6. Add cumin and tumeric to taste
7. Add rice and stewed tomatoes and let rice absorb the juices from the can of tomatoes
8. Continue to add spices to taste

I thought this was a very delicious dish...if you guys make any changes to it, let me know, I'd love to make it again with additions. One potential addition would be sweet potato, though I'm not sure how well it would go with the mixture....just a thought :)

Tanya's pink sauce

Hey guys,

I thought I'd put this recipe on the blog so that I can easily find it when need be. Huge thanks to Tanya for this...it was so delicious. I prefer it without the sausage...but I think most people would disagree :). A tip from Emily: "Note that in order to make the sauce turn out right, you also have to add a little tomato paste and a small can of tomato sauce. otherwise the sauce turns out really watery and a bit strange."

Love,

margs

Mom's Pink Sauce:

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup carrots
1/2 cup onions
2 teaspoons minced garlic cloves
1/4 cup minced green onions
2 cups diced tomatoes in juice (16 ounce can of tam)
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons fresh basil
1/2 pint heavy cream
4 cups cooked penne pasta
salt to taste
*should make 6 servings (consider doubling)

directions:
chop carrots and onions
sauce pan over medium heat, when hot add olive oil,

chopped carrots and onions
cook until carrots / onions soften and brown
add garlic, green onions, canned diced tomatoes
cook 15 minutes
add cream, crushed red pepper flakes, basil
cook another 15 minutes
cook penne pasta according to directions
place hot penne pasta in shallow pasta dish or bowl

spicy italian raw sausage, take out of casing and

crumble it (like cooking ground beef)
or get the precooked and just slice

Two Refried Beans Recipes for Emily

May these serve you better than your last recipe

1) http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/refried_beans/

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups of dry pinto beans (about 1 lb or 450gm)
• 3 quarts of water
• 1/2 cup chopped onion (optional)
• 2 Tbsp pork lard, bacon fat, or olive oil (for vegetarian option)
• 1/4 cup water
• Salt to taste
• Cheddar cheese (optional)

Method

1 Rinse the beans in water and remove any small stones, pieces of dirt, or bad beans.

2 Cook the beans in water.
Pressure Cooker method Put beans into a 4 quart pressure cooker with a 15 lb weight. Fill up the pressure cooker with water, up to the line that indicates the capacity for the pot. Cook for 30-35 minutes - until the beans are soft and the skins are barely breaking open.
Regular method Put beans into a pot and cover beans with at least 3 inches of water - about 3 quarts for 2 1/2 cups of dry beans. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to simmer, covered, for about 2 1/2 hours. The cooking time will vary depending on the batch of beans you have. The beans are done when they are soft and the skin is just beginning to break open.

Strain the beans from the cooking water.

3 Add the onions and lard/fat/oil to a wide, sturdy (not with a flimsy stick-free lining) frying pan on medium high heat. Cook onions until translucent. (Note the onions are optional, you can skip them if you want.) Add the strained beans and about a 1/4 cup of water to the pan. Using a potato masher, mash the beans in the pan, while you are cooking them, until they are a rough purée. Add more water if necessary to keep the fried beans from getting too dried out. Add salt to taste. Add a few slices of cheddar cheese, or some (1/2 cup) grated cheddar cheese if you want. When beans are heated through (and optional cheese melted) the beans are ready to serve.

Note that many recipes call for soaking the beans overnight and discarding the soaking liquid. We don't. We discard the cooking liquid and just add some water back into the frying pan when we are frying the beans.



2) http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/2007/03/life-pursuit-refried-beans.html

Refried beans : A Life Pursuit
Ingredients:
1 pound of pinto beans
1/4 pound of salt pork slit with a knife
Half an onion, whole
1/4 cup of onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
4 slices of bacon
Salt to taste

Method:
Soak the beans overnight or quick soak by bringing to a boil and then turning off the heat and letting them sit for an hour.
Drain soaked beans and then place back in the pot. Cover beans with fresh water to cover them two inches.
Throw half an onion in the pot and add a couple of dashes of salt. Can also add 1/4 pound of salt pork (if you do this there’s no need for extra salt.)
Bring beans to a boil, cover and simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally.
The time it will take to cook the beans will depend on the freshness of the beans and the hardness of your water. If they’re not completely cooked after an hour, let them simmer a while longer until they’re done.
Remove salt pork and onion and then drain the beans, keeping 1/2 cup of the bean broth.
Chop the slices of bacon and fry them in a skillet on medium until crispy and all the fat is rendered.
Remove cooked pieces (you can either nibble on them while you’re cooking or save them for something else).
Fry the diced onion in the bacon grease for a couple of minutes, and then add the minced garlic and cook for another minute.
Add the drained cooked beans into the skillet, adding 1/4 cup of the bean broth.
Mash the beans with a potato masher, adding more bean broth for desired moisture.
Keep stirring the mashed beans in the bacon fat until the texture is a chunky paste.

Notes: You can substitute 1/4 cup of lard for the bacon grease. Or you can use 1/4 cup of peanut oil. If you don’t want to cook a pot of beans, two 16 oz. cans of cooked pintos can be used instead. You can also use black beans, just be sure and throw some epazote in the pot when cooking them. I’ll write more on epazote later (now that the days are warmer I plan to go foraging for it in Central Park), but for now, check out Lydia’s wonderful post on the subject. This recipe makes 4-6 servings.

Spicy Vegetarian Chili

I have finally contributed to the Emily/Mandy Fall 2009 Bean-off! Since I feel like food bloggers always post their snotty little heirloom health food modification to recipes, I think you should all know that I made this with these lovely black and while spotted heirloom beans from Rancho Gordo (http://www.ranchogordo.com/) and they were pretty.

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/spicy_vegetarian_chili/

The level of spiciness will depend on how much chili powder, and how many jalapeños you put in the chili. If you like things on the mild side, start with the smaller amounts of both, and add to taste. I used the lower bound of spiciness and it seemed fine.

Ingredients

• 1 1-pound eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
• Olive oil
• 2 yellow onions, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium zucchini, chopped
• 2 large red bell peppers, cored, seeded, diced
• 1 to 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded, finely minced (Taste and check the heat of the jalapeños. If very hot only use one, if mildly hot, use two. Wash hands with soap and water after handling. Do not rub eyes.)
• 1 28-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped, including liquid (or 2 pounds fresh plum tomatoes, peeled and chopped)
• 1 Tbsp ground cumin
• 1-2 Tbsp chili powder
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh chopped oregano or 2 teaspoons dried
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (I hate fennel and did not use this)
  
• 1 1/2 cup cooked white beans (1 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed)
• 1 1/2 cup cooked kidney beans (1 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed)
• Zest of one lemon
• 3 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro (can sub parsley if you have an aversion to cilantro)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Scatter eggplant cubes in a shallow roasting pan and slather with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for about 30 minutes, stirring once during the cooking. Remove from the oven and set aside.

2 In a large (5-6 quart) thick-bottomed Dutch oven, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute more. Add the red bell peppers, zucchini, and jalapeño chili peppers. Cook for about 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

3 Add the tomatoes to the pot along with any liquid that may have been in the can (if using canned). Add oregano, cumin, and fennel seeds. Add chili powder to desired heat. Stir in the eggplant cubes (carefully as to not break them up), and simmer for 20 minutes over low heat.

4 Add the white beans and kidney beans, lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, and chopped cilantro. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Serve with sour cream (or yogurt), grated cheddar cheese, chopped green onions, and cilantro.

Serves 8-10.

Sarita Austin's Spicy Squash Stew

Spicy Squash Stew


1 1/2 T. oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
2 garlic cloves –minced
½ t.salt-divided
1 T.curry
½ t. coriander (ground)
½ t. cinnamon
¼ t. red pepper
4 cups of butternut squash-peeled and cubed
1 3/4c. veggie broth
1 (14.5oz) can of diced tomatoes-undrained
1 can of chickpeas, drained
3 cups fresh spinach
1 can of light coconut milk
¼ cup of chopped cilantro
1 T. lime juice

Cook onion (till tender) over med-high heat in canola oil. Add garlic,1/4 t.salt-cook 1 minute. Add curry, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and pepper. Cook 2 minutes stirring constantly.

Stir in squash, broth, and tomatoes-bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until squash is slightly tender. Stir occasionally.

Stir in remaining salt and chickpeas. Uncover and simmer 8 minutes –until veggies are tender. Add spinach and coconut milk-cook 2 minutes.

Remove from heat. Stir in cilantro and juice.
Serve immediately-yum
(FYI-I usually increase the broth and spinach)

8 servings

Dan -I love to cook so much and share recipes-this is totally cool.

Love you,
Mom