Sausage with Broccoli Rabe

° Serves 4 as a first course or side dish

Broccoli rabe, a leafy broccoli with thin stems and small yellow flowers, is available almost year-round at most supermarkets. Its slightly bitter and nutty taste goes particularly well with sausage. For this recipe, use sweet Italian-style sausage meat.

This is good as a first course or as a side dish with pasta, served at room temperature. If it has been refrigerated, warm it to room temperature in a microwave oven for about 20 seconds.

• 2 pounds broccoli rabe
• 1 pound sweet Italian-style sausage meat
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced (about 1½ tablespoons)
• ¼ teaspoon hot pepper flakes
• ½ teaspoon anise seeds
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for serving

If the broccoli stems are tough and fibrous, peel the outer layer by pulling it off the stems. (This takes some time, but it is well worth the effort, since the stems will be much more tender.) Cut the broccoli into 2- to 3-inch chunks and rinse it thoroughly in a sieve under cold water.

Form the sausage meat into 1-ounce balls, each the size of a jumbo olive, and arrange them in one layer in a large saucepan. Cover and cook over low to medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes. (Liquid will emerge from the sausage balls and they will begin frying after 6 or 7 minutes.) Stir in the garlic, pepper flakes, anise seeds, salt, and olive oil.

Add the broccoli to the sausage mixture a handful at a time, then cover and lower the heat. Cook, covered, for 6 to 8 minutes. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil on top.

Make this versatile dish ahead of time and serve it at room temperature as a first course or side dish.