Broccoli Bolognese with Orecchiette

When this recipe was published two years back by Bon Appetit in their “Healthyish” collection, there were a flurry of readers writing to state that although it may be a delicious pasta dish, it CANNOT be called a Bolognese as there are no tomatoes in the sauce. The case was settled by a reader who obviously knows their culinary history; who noted that the earliest know Bolognese recipe was published in 1891 by Pelligino Artusi and contains NO mention of tomato. So there.

There is a long tradition in Puglia, Italy of making pasta with this combination of ingredients, usually made with broccoli rabe. I have made this several times; always to a rave review from my spouse. I’m sure you could make it with other pasta shapes, but if you have the little ears, they are easy to eat and cook. The recipe has you cook the broccoli first separately, and then later use the same water for the pasta, but I found it easier to just toss the broccoli in with the pasta about 2 minutes before the pasta is done and drain it all together after removing a cup of the pasta water for your sauce. However you do it, it’s an easy and delicious weeknight dinner.

1 large head of broccoli (1 1/4-1 1/2 pounds) cut into florets, stalk peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces.

Kosher salt

2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

4 garlic cloves, smashed

12 ounces fresh Italian sausage, casings removed

Crushed red pepper flakes

12 ounces orecchiette pasta

3 Tbs. unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 1/2 ounces Parmesan, finely grated (about 1/2 cup), plus more for serving

Cook broccoli in a large pot of salted boiling water until crisp-tender, about 2 or 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer broccoli to a colander and let cool (save pot of water for cooking pasta) Chop broccoli into small pieces, set aside.

Heat 2 Tbs. oil in a large skillet over medium. Cook garlic shaking skillet occasionally, until it starts to turn golden, about 2 minutes. Transfer garlic to a small bowl. Cook sausage and a generous pinch of red pepper flakes, breaking up meat into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon and stirring occasionally, until browned and cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes.

Bring reserved pot of water to a boil and cook pasta until barely al dente, (set a timer for 3 minutes less than the package directions; it will cook more in the skillet.

Meanwhile, ladle about 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid from pot into skillet with sausage and add garlic and blanched broccoli. Keep mixture at a low simmer, stirring often and mashing with a potato masher to break up sausage even more, until pasta is finished cooking.

Using a spider or slotted spoon, transfer pasta to skillet, then ladle in 1/2 cup pasta water. Cook, stirring, until pasta absorbs most of the liquid and is just al dente, about 4 minutes. Add butter and stir until melted, then transfer pasta to a large bowl. Gradually add the 1/2 cup of Parmesan, tossing constantly until you have a glossy, emulsified sauce.

Serve pasta topped with more Parmesan and red pepper flakes and a drizzle of olive oil. Serves 4.

Note: Deglazing the pan with white wine after cooking sausage adds a nice flavor. Because I cooked the pasta and broccoli together, I started with the broccoli cut into smaller pieces, and skipped mashing the sausage with a potato masher.