Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe & Provolone 17Nov11

I’ve been meaning to post this dish for a really long time. It is quite possibly my favorite go-to pasta dish. I would say it’s the pasta dish of all time but Mac n Cheese will always win that fight. But since Mac n Cheese, to me, means making a béchamel, using 4-5 cheeses, and patiently waiting for the baking part to be done…. this simple orecchiette dish wins for being quick, easy and so delicious!

I absolutely love Broccoli Rabe, aka Rapini. I love it’s nutty bitterness and vibrant green color. It’s also jam packed with good for your vitamins. As a side dish, I like to sauté with a little olive oil, so you really keep the flavor of broccoli rabe. Maybe a little grated Pecorino on top. Mmm. Okay so say you don’t love Broccoli Rabe as much as I do, you can easily substitute with other hearty greens like broccolini, spinach, or kale. I’ve tried the variations, nothing beats the rabe with this recipe! The provolone is a perfect sweet balace to the bite of the rabe. You’ll have to just trust me and try it. Bon appétit!

Ingredients:
1/2 box of dry orecchiette pasta (0.5 lbs)
2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 shallot, finely diced
1 teaspoon of red chili flakes
2 tablespoons of butter
1 bunch of broccoli rabe (about 1lb)
1/2 cup of grated provolone cheese
salt
fresh ground pepper
sprinkle of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, optional

Step 1: The Rabe
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Toss in your washed broccoli rabe for about a minute. Take it out and throw directly into an ice bath to stop the cooking. Drain, roughly chop into 1 inch sections and set aside.

Step 2: The Pasta
Using that same large pot, bring another batch of water to boil. Sprinkle in about 2 hefty pinches of salt. Toss in your pasta and let that cook until al dente. Follow the directions on the box or just do a taste test after a few minutes. You’ll want to stir occasionally to break up the orecchiette, they like to stick together. Once al dente, drain and toss back into the pot.

Step 3: Combine
While your pasta water is coming to a boil, you can start on the rest of the dish. In a large saucepan, melt about 2 tablespoons of butter over medium high heat. Drizzle a little bit of extra virgin olive oil so the butter does not burn. Toss in the diced shallot and let that cook until transparent. Add in the sliced garlic and red chili flakes and cook for another minute. Toss in the chopped broccoli rabe and toss until combined. Your pasta should be boiling away and almost ready to go by now… add in about 2 tablespoons of the pasta water into the saucepan before you drain the pasta. Toss in the pasta and mix until combined. Turn off the heat, sprinkle in the provolone cheese, add little fresh ground pepper and a pinch of salt to taste. Combine and serve!

I like to top it off with a little bit of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano before serving. Hope you like it as much as I do! Enjoy!

Posted by: Maggie Ha
Category: food, mmmm, recipes
Tags: cheese, cooking, food, Italian, pasta, recipe, recipes, vegetables, vegetarian

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 17th, 2011 at 4:21 pm and is filed under food, mmmm, recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.