Orecchiette With Crab Food

ORECCHIETTE WITH CRAB

Steps:

• Bring water to a boil and salt it liberally, drop in pasta and cook to al dente.
• While pasta cooks, heat olive oil, 3 turns of the pan, over medium heat. Add mushrooms, celery, shallots and garlic, cook 4 to 5 minutes then add tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, raise heat to medium-high and cook tomatoes until they burst, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in peas and crab, heat through 2 minutes then add hot sauce and wine, reduce wine a minute then stir in stock, heat 1 minute more then add cream - a turn of the pan, parsley, tarragon. Adjust seasonings. Drain pasta and toss with sauce, sprinkle with cheese to taste, optional.

ORECCHIETTE WITH CLAMS AND BROCCOLI

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs, adding the grated broccoli during the last 30 seconds of cooking. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain.
• Meanwhile, combine the breadcrumbs and 2 teaspoons olive oil in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Season with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 5 minutes; remove to a bowl.
• Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil with the garlic in a separate pot over medium-high heat. Cook until the garlic is just golden, about 3 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes, clams and wine. Cover and cook until the clams open, 5 to 7 minutes; remove the clams to a bowl using a slotted spoon (discard any unopened clams). Add the butter, pasta, broccoli and 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking water to the pot; cook, stirring, until the pasta is well coated, about 1 minute. Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup cooking water if the pasta seems dry.
• Stir the clams and any juices into the pasta. Drizzle each serving with olive oil and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs.

ORECCHIETTE WITH CLAMS, SAUSAGE AND PEPPERS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.
• Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a separate large pot over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring and breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until browned and crumbled, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the clams and 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook, removing the clams to a bowl as they open, 5 to 8 minutes. Discard any unopened clams.
• Add the pasta, 3/4 cup reserved cooking water, the roasted red peppers and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Simmer, stirring, until the liquid is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes, adding more cooking water as needed; season with salt and pepper.
• Stir in the parsley. Add the clams and gently toss.

ORECCHIETTE WITH SAUSAGE AND BROCCOLI RABE

Steps:

• Broccoli rabe: Roughly chop broccoli rabe, including the florets, leaves, and stems. Blanch in a large pot of salted boiling water, 2-3 minutes, then transfer with a slotted spoon to an ice bath for 2-3 minutes to stop the cooking. (Don't drain the water; keep it boiling to cook the pasta.) Remove broccoli rabe from ice bath and squeeze out excess water with your hands. Set aside.
• Sausage: Set a medium skillet over high heat and add olive oil. When the oil is warm, add the sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Cook until brown, 5 minutes. Meanwhile, thinly slice the garlic and add to the sausage. Stir and cook 1 more minute. Mix the broccoli rabe into the sausage and garlic. Add salt and pepper to taste, followed by chilies, and continue cooking 3-4 more minutes.
• Pasta: Put the orecchiette in the boiling water and cook about 2 minutes less than what the box advises (it will be al dente, says chef Mantuano, though not as chewy as other pasta shapes). Stir occasionally so the pasta doesn't clump.
• Sauce: Add chicken stock to the sausage mixture to deglaze the pan, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom. Turn off heat and set aside.
• Assembly: Reserve ½ cup pasta water, drain orecchiette, then return to the pot. Add sauce to the pot and stir. Cook over low heat, gently tossing the pasta with the sauce for 1-2 minutes to allow it to "marry"-or absorb-the sauce. (Add pasta water bit by bit if the sauce seems too dry.) Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Transfer to a platter or bowl. Garnish with Pecorino Romano and serve immediately, with more cheese at the table.