Italian Sausage With Broccoli And Collards Or Kale Recipes

ORECCHIETTE WITH SAUSAGE AND BROCCOLI

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the orecchiette and cook according to package instructions.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium high heat. Crumble the sausage into the skillet and cook, breaking apart with a spoon, until lightly browned, 5-6 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic; cook for 1 minute more.
• Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of olive oil, chicken broth, broccoli, salt and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom of the pan to release the flavorful brown bits, until the broccoli is tender-crisp, 3-4 minutes. Stir in the butter until melted and simmer for a few minutes to reduce and concentrate the sauce.
• Drain the pasta well and place back in the pasta pot. Add the sausage and broccoli mixture, along with half of the cheese, and toss to blend. Taste and adjust seasoning. Transfer to a serving platter or individual bowls and pass the remaining grated cheese at the table.
• Freezer-Friendly Instructions: This dish can be frozen for up to 3 months and reheated on the stovetop. If the dish has dried out a bit in the freezer, add a little water or broth while reheating. Just take care only to reheat it and not continue to cook it.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE WITH GRILLED BROCCOLINI, KALE, AND LEMON

Steps:

• Prepare a grill for medium-high, indirect heat (for a gas grill, leave one or two burners off; for a charcoal grill, bank coals on one side of grill); oil grate. Mix almonds, lemon juice, capers, honey, and 4 Tbsp. oil in a small bowl; season dressing with salt and pepper.
• Combine broccolini and kale in a large bowl and drizzle with remaining 1 Tbsp. oil. Toss well to evenly coat vegetables; season with salt.
• Grill sausage over direct heat until browned all over, about 3 minutes per side. Move to indirect heat and continue to cook, turning and rotating occasionally, until cooked through, 8-10 minutes. Transfer to a platter.
• Meanwhile, cook broccolini and kale over direct heat until kale is lightly browned and crisp around the edges and broccolini stem is crisp-tender, about 1 minute for kale and 3 minutes for broccolini. Transfer back to bowl.
• Grill lemon slices over direct heat until lightly browned, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to bowl with broccolini and kale and add half of dressing and half of Pecorino. Toss to combine; season salad with salt and pepper.
• Mound some of the salad on top of the sausage and leave some in the bowl. Drizzle remaining dressing over all of the salad and top with remaining Pecorino.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE WITH BROCCOLI AND COLLARDS (OR KALE)

Steps:

• Put the sausage into a pot. Cover with water and simmer 15 minutes or so while you cope with the veggies.
• Clean and trim the collards. IMO, the best way to wash greens is to put them into a large, deep sink and slosh them around in the water like a tub of laundry. Tip -- if they are very muddy rinse them in a bucket outdoors first to keep the dirt out of your drains.
• Chop the collards and, if using the cherry tomatoes, cut them in half.
• Clean the broccoli and cut it in bite-sized pieces.
• Peel the onions. Quarter them lengthwise then slice them thickly.
• In a large, cast iron pan - a chicken fryer, a dutch oven, or a stir-fry pan -- saute the onions and broccoli until about half cooked.
• Add about 1/2 cup of the broth from the sausage then start adding handfuls of collards or kale to the pan. Stir frequently, adding additional handfuls as it cooks down, until its all in the pan.
• As you cook the greens, grill or fry the pre-cooked sausages to brown them nicely.
• Once the collards are all in the pan, steam-saute the mixture until the collards are well-cooked, but not grey or mushy.
• Add the tomatoes and stir around until they are well-heated.
• Serve the sausage on top of or beside the veggies, sprinkling both with Parmesan to taste.
• Pass vinegar at the table if desired since many people feel that no dish of collards is complete without it.
• Note -- It makes a good potluck dish if you quarter the sausage and toss with the veggies before topping the whole pan with Parmesan.

BROCCOLI AND ITALIAN SAUSAGE BAKED RIGATONI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.
• Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up the sausage with a wooden spoon into small pieces, until browned and cooked through, about 6 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage to a medium bowl, then reduce the heat to medium.
• Add 3 more tablespoons of the butter and the garlic to the same pot. Cook until the butter has melted and the garlic is softened slightly, about 1 minute. Whisk in the flour and cook until it's bubbling all over and no longer raw, about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk, then bring to a steady simmer. Simmer until it has thickened slightly, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the mozzarella and fontina until smooth. Season with 1 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few good grinds of pepper. Keep warm over low heat.
• Meanwhile, season the pot of boiling water generously with salt (it should taste like the ocean). Add the pasta and cook until al dente, adding the broccoli florets during the last 4 minutes of cooking, about 8 minutes total.
• Use a spider to transfer the pasta and broccoli into the cheese sauce and stir until evenly coated. Stir in the sausage. Transfer to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
• Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan. Stir in the breadcrumbs and parsley then sprinkle evenly over the pasta. Top with the Parmesan. Bake until the sauce is bubbling around the sides and the breadcrumb topping is golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.

SAUSAGE AND PEPPERS PASTA WITH BROCCOLI

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up the meat using a wooden spoon, until browned, about 5 minutes. Scrape the mixture into a medium bowl. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, the broccoli, peppers and garlic to the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until they soften and begin to brown, about 8 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water and drain the pasta. Return the pasta and reserved cooking water to the pot over low heat. Add the broccoli mixture, cooked sausage and its accumulated juices, 1/2 cup Parmesan, the lemon juice and red-pepper flakes and stir vigorously until liquid is slightly thickened and saucy, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Serve the pasta with additional Parmesan for sprinkling on top.

SAUSAGE, KALE & CHILLI PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Meanwhile, heat 1 tsp oil in a large frying pan. Brown the sausage with the fennel seeds on a medium heat for 6-7 mins until golden, then set aside.
• Heat the remaining oil in the same pan, add the garlic and chilli, and cook on a medium heat for 2 mins or until golden. Add the lemon juice and tomatoes, cook for 2 mins, then remove from the heat.
• Boil the pasta following pack instructions until al dente. Add the kale for the final 2 mins of cooking. Drain, saving the cooking liquid, then put the pasta and kale back in the saucepan to keep warm. Add about 100ml cooking liquid to the tomatoes. Heat up, pour over the pasta and toss together with the sausage, lemon zest and half the Parmesan. Serve in bowls with the remaining Parmesan sprinkled over.

HOMEMADE SWEET ITALIAN SAUSAGE (MILD OR HOT)

Steps:

• Place the pork and red wine vinegar in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle with salt, black pepper, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, basil, paprika, red pepper flakes, fennel seed, brown sugar, oregano, and thyme. Knead until flecks of spice are evenly distributed through the sausage.
• Divide the sausage into thirds, and form into 3 logs; wrap each in plastic wrap. Place wrapped sausage into a freezer bag before freezing, or store in refrigerator for at least 12 hours before cooking.