RIGATONI PUGLIESE

By chris5863

Ingredients

• Ingredients For the sauce:
• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound spicy Italian sausage
• 3 cups Basic Tomato Sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon ground fennel seed
• For the broccoli rabe and rigatoni:
• 1 bunch broccoli rabe, cleaned of outer leaves and bottom stems trimmed
• 1 pound rigatoni
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, sliced Goodfellas thin
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper to taste
• To finish the dish:
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup grated pecorino cheese

Details

Servings 4
Preparation time 30mins
Cooking time 30mins
Adapted from abc13.com

Preparation

Step 1

To prepare the sauce:

Drain the chickpeas well, reserving the liquid. Blend half the chickpeas (about 1 cup) and all their liquid on high until the mixture forms a smooth paste, about 1 minute.
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Squeeze the sausage out of the casing and add the meat to the pan. Brown it, stirring regularly and breaking the meat up into small pieces with a spoon or potato masher.
Add the tomato sauce and stir to combine.
Add the chickpea purée and the fennel seed and stir to combine. Cook over medium heat until the mixture forms a loose sauce and the flavors are combined, about 15 minutes.
To prepare the broccoli rabe and the rigatoni:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Blanch the broccoli rabe until the stems are just softened and the color has deepened, about 90 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon or spider to a bowl of ice water to immediately stop the cooking process.
Return the water to a boil, add the rigatoni and cook until it's al dente. Drain but do not rinse the pasta.
Warm the olive oil over medium-high heat in a medium sauté pan. Add the broccoli rabe, garlic, red pepper flakes, and the remaining half of the chickpeas. Season with salt and pepper and sauté until the greens are well coated, about 1 minute.
To finish the dish:
Return the rigatoni to the pot. Add the sauce and cook on medium-high heat, mixing well, until the pasta is well coated, about 1 minute.
Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the butter, olive oil, and half the pecorino cheese.
Transfer the pasta and sauce to a large serving dish and pour the broccoli rabe and chickpea mixture over the top. Top with the rest of the pecorino cheese and serve immediately.
About Andrew Carmellini:
The 2004 winner of the James Beard Foundation's Best Chef: New York City award, Andrew Carmellini is a young veteran of some of the world's finest restaurant kitchens. After stints at Lespinasse and Café Boulud -- and a year living and cooking in Italy -- he opened A Voce, which has quickly become one of New York's best-loved and best-reviewed restaurants.