1 pound fresh broccoli rabe
1 pound frozen cavatelli made with ricotta cheese1
3 tablespoons olive oil
5 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
juice of 1/2 lemon, or 2 teaspoons vinegar (optional)
salt and ground black pepper to taste
red pepper flakes (optional)
≈
grated Romano or Parmesan cheese (optional)
Bring a large covered pot of water to a rapid boil.
While the water heats, rinse the broccoli rabe and remove any tough or wilted outer leaves as well as the tough bottom part of the stems. Chop the remaining stems, florets, and leaves into 2-inch pieces, about the same size as the cavatelli. Place the chopped broccoli rabe in a steamer basket or colander that will fit into the pasta pot. When the water boils, submerge the colander in the water for about 3 minutes, until the broccoli rabe turns bright green. Remove the colander and set aside to drain.
Stir the cavatelli into the boiling water and re-cover the pot until the water comes back to a boil. Then uncover it. In a large nonreactive skillet, heat the oil and sauté the garlic for a minute, taking care not to let it brown. Stir in the drained broccoli rabe, the lemon juice or vinegar, and the salt and black pepper. Add the red pepper flakes, if you wish. Sauté until the greens are tender. Cover and set aside.
When the cavatelli are al dente, drain and toss them in a large warmed bowl with the sautéed greens. Sprinkle with cheese if you wish, and serve immediately.
PER 8-OZ SERVING: 333 CALORIES, 13 G PROTEIN, 14.2 G FAT, 40.1 G CARBOHYDRATE, 504 MG SODIUM, 0 MG CHOLESTEROL.
TOTAL TIME
25 minutes
SERVINGS
4
MENU
Cavatelli with Broccoli Rabe should be balanced by other strong flavors. We might place this dish in a menu that begins with Olivada Crostini (see page 262) and ends with Baked Peaches with Marsala (see page 306).
Broccoli rabe (also called rapini, broccoli rape, rappi, Italian broccoli, and Chinese broccoli) is somewhat bitter and is an acquired taste—but once the taste is acquired, it’s addictive. Here it is paired with mild dumpling-like ricotta cavatelli to mitigate the bitterness. Both broccoli rabe and cavatelli come from a southern Italian tradition.
1. Found in the frozen pasta section of many supermarkets.