Though orecchiette or cavatelli with sausage and broccoli rabe is Apulian in origin, the preparation is one of the peninsula's most beloved. This recipe from our head chef Joëlle Néderlants replaces the short pasta varieties with pici, the hand-rolled, slightly rugged pasta from Siena that's now enjoyed all around Tuscany. The sauce, which starts with a soffritto, takes on a ragù-esque texture that clings nicely super-sized spaghetti-like strands, each bite comprising a little bit of everything.
Pici with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe Ragù
Serves 4
Skill Level Easy
Time 30 minutes
Ingredients:
10 oz. fresh pasta similar to Tuscan pici
8 oz. spicy sausage
7 oz. broccoli rabe, cleaned
5 oz. chicory, cleaned and coarsely chopped
3 oz. Pecorino, grated
1 small carrot
1 celery stalk
1 garlic clove, unpeeled and crushed
smoked paprika
extra-virgin olive oil
salt
Method:
Clean and mince the carrot and celery into 1⁄8" pieces. Heat a saucepan with 2 Tbsp. olive oil and brown the carrot, celery, and garlic clove for 2 minutes.
Remove the garlic husk as it comes off during cooking. Cut the sausage into 1⁄2" chunks without removing the casing so that the meat doesn’t crumble during cooking. Add the sausage to the pan with the sautéed garlic, carrot, and celery, and cook for 4-5 minutes.
Bring plenty of water to a boil in a large stockpot. Add salt and cook the pici with the broccoli rabe and chopped chicory for 7-8 minutes. Save 1 cup pasta cooking water and drain the pasta with the vegetables.
Transfer everything to the pan with the sausage and sautéed garlic, carrot, and celery, and sauté over high heat. Add half the Pecorino and a splash of pasta cooking water.
Serve the pici garnished with a pinch of paprika and the remaining Pecorino.
Photo: Valentina Sommariva