¼cupoilI like to use a 50/50 blend of extra virgin olive oil to grapeseed
3ouncesbroccoli rabe/rapini or wild raabs like garlic mustard
Crushed red pepper flakesto taste (it should be quite spicy)
Kosher saltas needed
6anchovy filets preserved in oilpatted dry on a paper towel
Instructions
Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Blanch the greens for 30 seconds, then remove and cool on a tray. Rapini should be cooked until just tender. Drain and squeeze out any water, cut into 1 inch pieces and reserve. Save the water for cooking the pasta.
For the pasta, begin by heating a large saute pan (12 inches is good) add a tablespoon of the oil and brown the sausage on medium heat, breaking it into small clumps with a wooden spoon. Remove the sausage and reserve.
Add the anchovies to the pan along with the rest of the oil on medium heat, stirring occasionally until the anchovy filets dissolve. Add the breadcrumbs and stir. cook on low-medium heat until the breadcrumbs are golden brown.
Bring the pot of salted water back to a rolling boil, then add the orecchiette. Stir the pasta vigorously since orrechiette is notorious for sticking.
Cook the pasta al dente, tossing in a colander to remove pasta water, then add to the pan with the sausage and crumbs. Add the chopped rapini, sausage, chilli flakes to taste (¼ teaspoon for 4 people.) and some more olive oil if the pan starts to look dry.
Heat the mixture just to take the chill off of the rapini, then serve immediately. If this pasta isn't eaten immediately the breadcrumbs won't be crisp. No cheese is served with this as it's already seasoned.
Video
Notes
Scaling
Make the small restaurant portion first to make sure you like it, and understand the process, then scale as needed.
Using different bitter greens
This is one of the best places to use bitter greens I know of. Broccoli raab is traditional, but dandelions, wild mustard greens, and wild chicory can all be cooked the same way.