Italian Sausage With Grilled Broccolini Kale And Lemon Food

ORECCHIETTE WITH BROCCOLINI AND SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Bring a pot of water to a boil; add a generous amount of salt. Add the orecchiette and cook to al dente (take 3 minutes off of the time on the box; it'll finish cooking later). Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water, then drain.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until brown, about 7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage to a plate, keeping the fat in the skillet. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the broccolini and cook until crisp-tender, about 7 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low. Add the pasta and sausage to the skillet along with the Parmesan, lemon zest and juice, a couple of pinches of crushed red pepper and a bunch of turns of black pepper. Stir in a few tablespoons of the pasta water and continue to cook, stirring, until glossy, adding more pasta water if needed. Taste and adjust the seasoning as desired. Sprinkle with more Parmesan before serving.

GRILLED LEMON BROCCOLINI

Steps:

• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Whisk oil, lemon juice, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper together in a small bowl. Trim about 1/4 inch off the bottoms of the broccolini and remove any leaves.
• Brush broccolini with some of the oil mixture. Place on the grate and grill for 7 to 9 minutes, turning every 2 to 3 minutes, brushing on more oil mixture. Remove to a platter and sprinkle with Asiago cheese.

GRILLED ITALIAN SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook, flipping every few minutes, until golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), about 10 minutes.
• Transfer sausage to a plate, leaving juices behind in the skillet. Add onions and red bell pepper; cook and stir until brown and tender, 5 to 10 minutes.

PASTA WITH SAUSAGE AND BROCCOLINI

Steps:

• Slice sausage into bite size pieces and cook in large saute pan until fairly well done.
• Remove sausage from pan and drain on paper towels.
• Meanwhile, rinse broccolini, remove and discard only the ends of the stalks.
• Cut the rest of the broccolini into 2" pieces.
• Wipe the saute pan clean and heat olive oil.
• Add garlic and onion and cook for 2 - 3 minutes.
• Add broccolini and cook for 3 more minutes.
• Add can of chopped tomatoes with juice and cook for 2 more minutes.
• Add cooked pasta and sausage, tossing well to combine with the rest of the ingredients.
• Serve with fresh grated Parmeggiano Cheese and enjoy!

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.