This is my favorite pasta dish, and one I got when I lived in New York and would frequent Mario Batali‘s delicious (and more affordable!) restaurant, Po, which, sadly, has now closed.
The pasta is orecchiette, which are like little hats, thicker and chewier than most noodles.
The vegetable is rapini, or broccoli rabe – Italian broccoli. It can be hard to find, but Whole Foods usually has it. It took me a bit to get used to the tangy, somewhat bitter taste, but once I did, it became my favorite green veggie! It’s mostly leaves, with some small broccoli heads (like American broccoli but smaller). Some people say to boil it first, then saute so it isn’t so bitter, but I find it too watered-down that way. I like it full-flavored!
So, after de-stemming the rapini (some people leave the stems), I saute it with some garlic in coconut oil.
And then I sprinkle some grated almond “cheese” shreds on top and maybe add a bit of extra virgin olive oil.
Batali made his with sausage, so this one is “vegan-ized” 🙂 I love getting ideas from fabulous restaurants! Soooo sad that one closed.
