Monday, January 5, 2009

Quick & Easy Dinner


Giada has some great recipes so it's always fun to try a new one. Yesterday I made Orecchiette with Turkey Sausage and Broccoli Rabe from her Everyday Italian cookbook and it was great. My husband's comment was "This is good. This is blog-worthy!" A nice surprise since sometimes I ask if a recipe is blog-worthy and he says no. Oh how that hurts.

So for a quick and easy dinner give this a spin. I altered the recipe a bit. I used: 2 links of spicy pork sausage and 1 link of mild pork sausage instead of turkey sausage, twice the garlic, broccolini instead of broccoli rabe (cut in half lengthwise), lots of pepper and LOTS of parmesan. I served it with my garlic crostinis and since the pasta has a veggie in it, you really don't need to make anything else. Easy!

Re: broccoli rabe and broccolini...
  • Broccoli rabe, aka rapini, is not related to broccoli (didn't know that). It is closely related to turnips (weird). It has thinner stalks and is leafier, with smaller bunches of buds. It has a stronger, more bitter flavor, and all of the plant, including its leaves, is edible.

  • Broccolini is a natural hybrid vegetable, a cross between broccoli and Chinese kale. It looks like regular broccoli except that the stems are thinner, the stalks are delicate, and the flower buds are also smaller. The flavor is sweet with a subtle, peppery edge. The texture is slightly crunchy.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I make this all the time....kids love it, too!

Lynne Shutt said...

i didn't know this about broccolini vs. broccoli rabe! Very interesting, i always thought they were the same thing. :)

missyjq said...

this is one of my favorite go to recipes for big, casual dinners...i love it!