Passover and Pasta

Wine

Paco & Lola Albarino Rias Baixas 2007
Terre des Lauzeraies Cotes du Rhone 2007

We planned to make Orecchiette Pasta with Sausage and Broccoli Rape from Cooking with Master Chefs by Julia Child. We invited Bea to dinner. Since it was Passover I decided to pick up some Matzo Ball Soup. Cathy and I both had dental appointments in Century City, which is near Clementine, which has great takeout food.

When we arrived at Clementine to buy some matzo ball soup we discovered they had full Passover dinners to go. So we bought Brisket (naturally), Carrots and Prunes, Beets with Horseradish and Charoses and handmade Matzo. For dessert we bought Coconut Macaroons. We still wanted to make the Orecchiette, so we had it all.

It was a very traditional Passover dinner, if you don’t count the pork sausage in the Pasta. Oh well next year…..

The pasta really is exceptional. Try it!

Orecchiette con Broccoli di Rape e Salsicce
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Pasta Ears with Broccoli di Rape and Sausages
From Cooking with Master Chefs by Julia Child
This lovely dish shows what can happen to tough old greens if you treat them right. When broccoli di rape is prepared the way Chef Lidia prepares it—peeled and cooked long enough—it has an agreeable slight bitterness that blends wonderfully with the sweetness of the sausage and the full ripeness of the cheese.
It is important to match the shapes of pasta to the sauce. Thin sauces are best with flat pastas; other shapes have nooks and crannies to catch pieces of chunkier sauces. Orecchiette, which means "little ears," are just right to pick up all the tasty bits of sauce in this dish.

INGREDIENTS FOR 6 SERVINGS
For the sauce
2 pounds broccoli di rape
1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage
5 tablespoons good olive oil
3 large garlic cloves, crushed
Salt
1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (optional)
1 cup or more excellent chicken stock

For the pasta
6 quarts water
3 tablespoons salt
1 pound orecchiette pasta

For serving
1 ounce or more pecorino Romano cheese, grated just before using, and you may want to pass around more separately

Preparing the Broccoli di Rape: Wash and spin-dry the broccoli di rape and remove the large tough leaves, leaving just tender leaves and flower buds. Cut off and discard the lower part of the stems, leaving the broccoli about 8 inches long. Peel the stems by lifting strips from the stem end and drawing them up toward the bud area—a perfect peel is not necessary, but removing peel does remove bitterness.
Preparing the Sauce: Peel the sausage, crumble it and saute over moderately high heat in a tablespoon of olive oill. In a moment or two, add the crushed garlic and continue sautéing for another 2 to 3 minutes, until the sausage is lightly browned. Drain out the fat in the pan, and add the remaining olive oil. Roughly line up the broccoli di rape and slice into 4-inch lengths; add to the pan, tossing. Taste, and season lightly with salt and pepper flakes. (At this point, you could start the pasta.) Cover the broccoli pan and let steam for several minutes; when the broccoli has wilted, stir in the butter, then the stock, and bring to the boil. Taste again for seasoning, and let cook uncovered for several minutes more to reduce and concentrate the liquid. Again taste and correct seasoning. Set aside until the pasta is ready.
Boiling the Pasta: Heat 6 quarts of water in the stockpot, adding the salt, and timing so that the water is at the full boil by the time the broccoli di rape goes into the pan in the previous step. With the heat at its maximum, stir in the pasta and cover the pan until the water is at the boil. Then set the cover ajar and maintain at a moderate boil for 10 to 12minutes, stirring and checking on the progress now and then. After 9 minutes, start testing by eating a piece. It should just be cooked through, but not quite as tender as you would like because it will cook a little more with the sauce to come. Drain at once, and proceed to the serving.

Serving the Pasta: Reheat the broccoli di rape as soon as the pasta has cooked and drained. Turn the hot pasta into the hot sauce and toss gently to blend. Taste carefully for seasoning, and remove from heat.
Sprinkle on half the freshly grated Romano cheese, and toss to blend.
At once, turn the pasta onto the hot platter, bowls or plates, sprinkle with the rest of the Romano, and serve.