with Broccoli Rabe, Sausage & Turnip
This hearty weeknight pasta recipe with broccoli rabe, sausage and turnip is so unexpectedly good, it will become a favorite at your first bite – it’s well balanced, heartwarming and smells like Nonna’s kitchen. The secret to reducing the bitterness of the broccoli rabe is to blanch its stems first, then add some depth by combining them with caramelized turnips and melted anchovies. Two complementary ingredients that make this classic combo broccoli rabe and sausage seems restaurant-worthy.
300g all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1 tbsp of olive oil
3 tbsp of water
Homemade Farfalle Pasta
2 sausages (my favorite are Toulouse Sausages that I find at my local butcher)
1 bunch of broccoli rabe
3 garlic cloves, pressed
1/2 turnip, thinly chopped
3 anchovies
3 pinch of chili flakes
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt & pepper
1. Make a nest of flour on a clean working surface.
2. Add eggs, olive oil and water to the center.
3. Gently start mixing with your hands. Try to mix keeping the flour walls intact at the beginning, this helps!
4. Continue working the dough to bring it together into a shaggy ball. Then, knead for a few minutes.
5. Form a ball, cover it with a tea towel and let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
6. After you’ve let the dough rest, slice it in half using a sharp knife. You will only need one half, the other half can be kept in the fridge or in the freezer for later.
7. Cut the half you are going to use into three roughly even pieces.
8. Add flour to your working surface and gently flatten one piece at the time using a rolling pin.
9. Set your pasta maker to its widest setting. Feed your piece of dough through the machine to flatten it further into a sheet.
10. Once you pass setting 2, fold the dough like this: take each end and fold them so they will join at the center of the pasta sheet. Press with your hand to make them stick together and run the dough again through the machine. Now your sheet should have an even rectangular shape.
11. Pass the dough through the next setting and repeat the process until your sheet of dough is the right thickness. I like going until number 6 for farfalle.
12. On a clean flat surface, sprinkle flour, lay out your long sheets of dough vertically.
13. Using a knife, trim the sides of the dough that seem uneven.
14. Use your hands to measure, the width we want is about 3 fingers (which is about 2 inches or 5 cm). Cut vertically across the dough making even cuts.
15. Turn each sheet of dough horizontally.
16. Same here, the width we want is about 3 fingers (which is about 2 inches or 5 cm). Using a zigzag cutter, if you have, make your cuts vertically.
17. To form each farfalle, place your index finger in the center of a rectangle, then your thumb and middle finger on the straight edges of the rectangle. Pinch your thumb and middle finger toward your index finger in the center, keeping your index finger in place to help create the folds. As the pasta folds up, remove your index finger and firmly pinch the folds of pasta together in the center to hold the shape.
18. Place the farfalle on a floured rimmed baking sheet and dust with a little flour.
1. Separate leaves and florets from stems (every single stems, the large and small ones found in the leaves)
2. Chop stems in 2-3 inches pieces long, splitting in half the largest ones.
3. Soak them in cold water first, then blanch them in boiling water for 3-4 minutes to remove their bitterness.
4. Collect the stems with the help of a small sieve, and set aside in a cold water bath.
5. Same process, cut and wash the leaves and florets in cold water first. Blanch them for a minute before placing them in cold water with the stems.
6. In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat.
7. Prick the sausages all over before adding them to the hot skillet. Reduce the heat to low-medium to avoid burning the fat and meat. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, turning occasionally to brown each side.
8. Remove the sausages from the pan to rest a few minutes before cutting them in small slices.
9. In the same skillet over medium heat, add a tablespoon of olive oil, then add pressed garlic and anchovies. As the garlic starts to sizzle, break up the fillets of anchovies so they can quickly melt and dissolve into the oil.
10. Add chopped turnip, chili flakes, salt and pepper, and sauté for about 5 minutes until turnip is nicely caramelized.
11. Add cut sausages and drained broccoli rabe and let it cook 3-5 minutes on medium heat to reduce its water content. Season to taste.
12. At the same time, cook the homemade pasta in boiling water for 3 minutes.
13. Add cooked pasta to the skillet and combine with the sausage mixture over medium heat for 2 minutes.
Cheers Xx
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