Two Broccolis With Cavatappi and Raisin-Pine Nut Sauce

I'm on a splendidly tabled kick this week! My parents gave me the book (can't assume that anyone's read my other posts, so, "the book" is The Splendid Table's How To Eat Supper) for Christmas, and I've just been getting into it again recently.

I don't know if I've ever consciously eaten broccoli raab (rapini), although I read about it in mouth-watering contexts on a fairly regular basis. I was expecting it to be a lot spicier than it was! It had a kick, I guess, but I was bracing myself for a smackdown which, mercifully, did not come.

I made a few changes: the recipe calls for cavatappi, which I think are those little corkscrew tubes. I didn't have any, but I used radiattore, which seemed to catch the yummy sauce just as nicely. Also, it calls for Genoa salami. I used what the deli case called "Venetian hot Genoa salami." Hmmm... Google tells me that Genoa is also in the north of Italy, just on the opposite side from Venice. Anyway, because of the extra hotness from the salami, I omitted the second jalape*o. And for the cheese, we STILL had some mizithra left over from weeks ago, so I used that and made up for the extra saltiness by not adding salt anywhere else they say to, except a bit in the pasta water.

Final note: use a huge pot for the pasta and broccolis if you are making all four servings, and use a big saute pan, too!

Notes from the recipe: they say it serves 4 as a main dish (looks more like 6 to me, but I may have gone overboard on the broccolis), and that the sauce can be made one hour before serving.

• 1 to 1 1/2 pounds broccoli
• 1 large bunch (1 to 1 1/4 pounds) broccoli raab (broccoli di rapa, cime di rapa, rapini)
• 8 quarts salted water in a 10-quart pot

The Saute

• Good-tasting extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• Salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
• 2 ounces Genoa salami, sliced 1/4 inch thick and cut into 3/4-inch dice
• 2 jalape*os, fine chopped (seeded if you want less heat)
• 4 large garlic cloves, fine chopped
• 1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup raisins

Pasta

• 1 pound imported cavatappi, rotini, or fusilli [Carrina's note: uunnh? Imported? I used Golden Grain Mission and had no complaints...]
• 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups shredded Stella Fontinella, Asiago, or young sheep cheese [Carrina's note: hm, I think I've heard of Asiago... any kind of cheese would have been yummy in this dish]

1. Bring the salted water to a boil.

2. Peel the broccoli stalks (huh? I've never done this. Maybe someone can tell me to do it without peeling my knuckles off), and cut them into 1/4-inch-thick diagonal slices. Quarter the florets. Trim the broccoli raab stems to within an inch of where the leaves begin. Pile up the stalks and slice them into 1/4 inch pieces (WHOOPS! missed this last sentence while making the recipe, but frankly, I liked having some recognizable broccoli in there).

3. Generously film the bottom of a straight-sided 12-inch saute pan with olive oil, and set it over high heat. Add the onion and generous sprinkles of salt and pepper. Saute until the onion is golden brown, stirring often. Halfway through the saute add the salami and jalape*os.

Once the onions are browned, blend in the garlic and tomato paste. Cook for 1 minute. 4. Stir in 1/2 cup of the water and boil it down to nothing as you use a wooden spatula to scrape up everything from the bottom of the pan. Repeat with the remaining 1/2 cup water. Once it is boiled off, stir in the raisins and pull the pan off the heat. Cover and set aside.

5. Drop the pasta into the boiling water. Cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes. Stir in the two broccolis and boil until the pasta is just tender. Scoop 1/2 cup of the pasta water out of the pot and set it aside. Immediately drain the pasta and vegetables in a colander.

(As you may have guessed by the presence of both hands, my husband took this picture for me! Although an optically-activated camera that straps to one's head would be flipping sweet...)

6. Reheat the onion saute over medium-high heat. Blend in the reserved pasta water, and add the pasta and vegetables and the pine nuts. Toss over the heat for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the pasta is lightly coated with the moistened saute.

Taste the pasta for seasoning. Turn it into a serving bowl. Pass the cheese separately.

Done! Delicious, hot dinner with the vegetable stirred right in, and at least three servings' worth of leftovers.

So, I'll be contending with leftovers tomorrow, but here are the ingredients for Wednesday's meal (if all goes according to plan):

• 4 medium boned, skinless chicken breasts
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• Juice of 5 limes
• 1 can Coca-Cola

Yes, that's right: Lime juice. And Coca-Cola. And chicken. I'm so excited it just may affect my sleep! I got this recipe from a friend who now lives in Peru. I can't wait to try it!

Yeah, still not over it. Chicken... and Coke! Can't wait.