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.

Ruote di Carro col Sugo di Salsicce, Panna e Pomodoro Cartwheels with sausages, cream, and tomato -Marcella Hazan

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients:

½ pound breakfast or other mild pork sausage (we use Italian sausage)

1 tablespoons olive oil

1 tsp chopped garlic

2/3 cup canned plum tomatoes, cut coarse with their juice

½ cup heavy cream

salt

black pepper

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

pasta (cartwheels or other pasta that holds sauce well)

parmesan cheese for the table

Directions:

Slice the sausage into disks or simply use crumbled sausage.

Put the olive oil and chopped garlic in a skillet and turn on the heat to medium. When the garlic becomes colored a pale gold, add the sausage. Turn them from time to time until it is nicely browned on all sides, about 15 minutes. Add tomatoes, stir, cook at gentle simmer.

After about 20 min, when the fat separates from the other juices and floats free, add the cream and turn up the heat. Cook for 1 or 2 mins, stirring frequently, until the cream is reduced. Add salt and liberal grinding of peppers. Turn off the heat and stir in the chopped parsley.

Boil pasta. Add sauce.

Strette allo Zafferano col Trito di Vitello Narrow Noodles with Saffron and Veal (or ground turkey :) -Marcella Hazan

Serves 4-6

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon vetegable oil

4 tablespoons chopped onion

¾ pound ground veal (or turkey)

salt

black pepper

¼ tsp saffron (if in strands, chop/pulverize)

¾ cup heavy cream

pasta (use type that holds sauces well)

freshly grated parmesan for the table

Directions:

Put the butter, vegetable oil, and chopped onion in a skillet or sauté pan and turn on to medium high heat.

When the onion becomes colored a pale gold, add the ground meat. Cook the meat, crumbling with a fork and turning it from time to time, until you have browned it all over. Sprinkle with salt and liberal pepper, turning meat two or three times.

Add the saffron and cream, and reduce the heat to medium. Cook the cream down, stirring frequently, until it is no longer runny.

Boil the pasta. Add sauce.

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.