Orecchitte with Lemon Rapini “Sauce”

Orecchitte with Lemon Rapini “Sauce”

I like the idea of using vegetables as the sauce on pasta. This is a perfect example.

INGREDIENTS:

1 bunch of rapini

½ medium onion, finely diced

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Meyer lemon, zest removed and cut into very fine shreds-1/16^th of an inch

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

½ cup white whine such as pinot grigio

OPTIONAL- 1 big pinch chili flakes

Salt and pepper to taste

1 pound orecchiette pasta, or similar shape

1 cup pasta cooking water, reserved for use as needed

METHOD:

Bring a large pan of water to a boil for the rapini, and one for the pasta. Be sure to salt the pasta water generously.

Cut away the stems from the rapini and discard any tough ones. Reserve the tender ones, separate from the tops. Chop the stems roughly into smaller pieces.

Using a sieve, dunk the lemon zest into the boiling water for a couple seconds, then remove to the sink and rinse with cold water. Place on a towel to dry.

Drop the rapini stems into the boiling water and cook for one minute.

Add the leaves and cook one minute more. Taste a stem bit and a leaf to see if they are tender. Cook until the rapini is tender.

As soon as the rapini is tender, drain into a colander. Once the rapini has drained, turn it out onto a cutting board and chop it finely.

Return the pan to the heat, and when hot, add enough olive oil to cover the pan bottom. Turn down the heat to medium-high.

As soon as the oil is hot, add the onions to the pan. Toss to coat them with oil.

Start the pasta cooking.

Once the onions are soft, about 5-6 minutes, add the garlic to the pan. Sauté until fragrant, being careful not to burn it.

Scatter the lemon zest into the pan, then add the rapini. Toss well to combine the ingredients.

Add the wine, tossing again to coat the rapini in the wine.

Cook down the wine until almost gone, then scatter the chili flakes into the dish if using. Season with salt and pepper.

The pasta should be done by now. Drain, reserving a cup of pasta water.

Toss the pasta into the rapini and toss to coat the pasta with the “sauce”. If the sauce seems too dry, use the pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce up so it “coats” the pasta.

Dish is ready to serve.

Serves: 4

Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen

Chef’s Notes:

The recipe is easy to vary. You could omit the lemon strips and substitute 10 or so seeded and chopped oil cured olives or a couple mashed up anchovy fillets. Skip the onions if you want, use red wine instead of white. You could even fry up some Italian sausage first, then use proceed with the recipe. Toasted pine nuts or almonds and breadcrumbs would be nice as well. Oddly enough, I don’t see using Parmesan cheese to finish the dish. I think the rapini and the cheese are both similar in that they are quite distinct flavors, but different enough to clash.