1 TB olive oil
1-1/2 cloves of garlic, sliced
1/2 bunch broccoli rabe (about 1/2 lb) trimmed and cut into 5 -inch pieces
6 oz. canned clams, juices reserved
1/8 C. unsalted butter (about 1-2 TB)
1/4 C. dry white wine
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 lb uncooked spaghetti
1/8 C. grated parmesan cheese
Boil the pasta and drain. In a separate pan, saute the garlic and broccoli rabe for 5 minutes. Stir in the clams and butter until the butter is melted. Add in the wine, red pepper, and black pepper and simmer for 2 minutes. In a serving bowl or the pot you cooked the pasta in, toss the hot cooked pasta with the clams and broccoli rabe and all the yummy pan juices.
***
I think the way this recipe is written that it's intended for the pasta to get done at the same time as the broccoli rabe and clams. If you can pull this off, it probably tastes best this way. However, DO NOT OVER COOK THE PASTA. While pasta advertisements have been extolling the virtue of al dente pasta so heavily over the years that one might get the impression that the real way to eat pasta is half-crunchy, it IS true that pasta should be...firm. IE, when you bite into it, you should actually feel a certain amount of resistance between your teeth. ("Don't eat me, don't eat me!" it's crying out. Hahaha I just traumatized The Future of America.) I mention this because it is the opposite goal of PTA fundraisers across America to convince us that the best way to eat pasta is a gooey mushy pile of partially digested glue. UCK. Obviously you can tell how I feel about this. So, cook your pasta until it's done, but don't leave it boiling or sitting in the water if your veggies are taking a little longer or you were slow on the chopping part or something. Rewarmed firm pasta tastes better than steaming hot glue, and that is not an opinion, that is a statement of fact.
Broccoli rabe is also known as rapini. Whatever you call it, in my book it's delicious. The stems are edible! Don't cut them off and throw them away-- when you cook them they get tender like asparagus.
By the way, some of these recipes were composed or gathered during my Grandmom's dieting days. So, be advised that it may not be humanly possible to saute everything you need to saute in a single tablespoon of olive oil or 1/8 cup unsalted butter. Just add some more, I won't tell. In addition, my experience of Italian family suppers is that you put as much parmesan as you like, which is frequently a lot, grated by you at the table off the chunk that lives in the refrigerator for just such a purpose.
1-1/2 cloves of garlic, sliced
1/2 bunch broccoli rabe (about 1/2 lb) trimmed and cut into 5 -inch pieces
6 oz. canned clams, juices reserved
1/8 C. unsalted butter (about 1-2 TB)
1/4 C. dry white wine
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 lb uncooked spaghetti
1/8 C. grated parmesan cheese
Boil the pasta and drain. In a separate pan, saute the garlic and broccoli rabe for 5 minutes. Stir in the clams and butter until the butter is melted. Add in the wine, red pepper, and black pepper and simmer for 2 minutes. In a serving bowl or the pot you cooked the pasta in, toss the hot cooked pasta with the clams and broccoli rabe and all the yummy pan juices.
***
I think the way this recipe is written that it's intended for the pasta to get done at the same time as the broccoli rabe and clams. If you can pull this off, it probably tastes best this way. However, DO NOT OVER COOK THE PASTA. While pasta advertisements have been extolling the virtue of al dente pasta so heavily over the years that one might get the impression that the real way to eat pasta is half-crunchy, it IS true that pasta should be...firm. IE, when you bite into it, you should actually feel a certain amount of resistance between your teeth. ("Don't eat me, don't eat me!" it's crying out. Hahaha I just traumatized The Future of America.) I mention this because it is the opposite goal of PTA fundraisers across America to convince us that the best way to eat pasta is a gooey mushy pile of partially digested glue. UCK. Obviously you can tell how I feel about this. So, cook your pasta until it's done, but don't leave it boiling or sitting in the water if your veggies are taking a little longer or you were slow on the chopping part or something. Rewarmed firm pasta tastes better than steaming hot glue, and that is not an opinion, that is a statement of fact.
Broccoli rabe is also known as rapini. Whatever you call it, in my book it's delicious. The stems are edible! Don't cut them off and throw them away-- when you cook them they get tender like asparagus.
By the way, some of these recipes were composed or gathered during my Grandmom's dieting days. So, be advised that it may not be humanly possible to saute everything you need to saute in a single tablespoon of olive oil or 1/8 cup unsalted butter. Just add some more, I won't tell. In addition, my experience of Italian family suppers is that you put as much parmesan as you like, which is frequently a lot, grated by you at the table off the chunk that lives in the refrigerator for just such a purpose.
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