This recipe is my one of my favorite pasta meals, and is reasonably doable on a weeknight. I first made it when Abbott was an infant, while we were living in San Francisco. (The recipe was published by Cook's Illustrated in November 2002, when Abbott was 3 months old.) To roast the peppers: I cut them into 4 pieces, remove the cores and seeds, place on a foil lined baking sheet, skin side up, and broil for 15-20 minutes, until the skin is charred (I use 2 peppers for this recipe). Put the peppers in a bowl with plastic wrap over the top for several minutes to steam, then rub the skins off with a paper towel. I recommend roasting the peppers before putting the water on to boil for the pasta. My family likes this with only a couple of cloves of garlic instead of 9, and I use a pound of mild italian sausage meat instead of 4 oz.
Buon appetito!
Orecchiette with Broccoli, Sausage, and Roasted Peppers
11/2002
In this recipe, begin cooking the broccoli immediately after putting the pasta into boiling water. When cut into small pieces, the broccoli takes only a few minutes to cook through.
Serves 4 to 6 as a main dish
| table salt |
| 1 | pound orecchiette |
| 4 | ounces sweet Italian sausage , casing removed |
| 9 | medium cloves garlic , pressed through garlic press or minced (3 tablespoons) |
| 1 | cup roasted red peppers (8 ounces), cut into 1/2-inch squares |
| 1/2 | teaspoon ground black pepper |
| 2 | pounds broccoli , florets cut into bite-sized 1-inch pieces, stalks peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1/4-inch thick pieces |
| 1 | tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil |
| 1 | cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese (2 ounces) |
1. Bring 4 quarts water to rolling boil, covered, in stockpot. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta, stir to separate, and cook until al dente. Drain and return to stockpot.
2. While pasta is cooking, cook sausage in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it into small pieces with spoon, until browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, roasted peppers, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Increase heat to high; add broccoli and 1/2 cup water, then cover and cook until broccoli begins to turn bright green, 1 to 2 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring frequently, until water has evaporated and broccoli is tender, 3 to 5 minutes longer. Add broccoli mixture, oil, and cheese to pasta in stockpot; toss to combine. Serve immediately.
