Friday, November 19, 2010

Broccoli Rabe with Sausage and Grapes

I fell a little in love with this comforting dish after a friend made it one autumn. The sharp broccoli rabe is a great contrast with sweet grapes & people always ask for the recipe - a creation of the NY Times's Mark Bittman, a fave (see gossipy notes below :)).

Before I sign off, a big thank you to Tanya at A Taste of T and A Whole Lotta Love for passing on a blog award! More soon!
~ Have a sweet and lovely weekend! ~
***
BROCCOLI RABE WITH SAUSAGE AND GRAPES
(4 servings, ~30 min)
From Mark Bittman's "How To Cook Everything," I've included some broccoli rabe prep instructions (it's a separate section in Bittman's book) here.
  • About 1-1/2 pounds (24 ounces) broccoli rabe (rapini), trimmed and cut-up [Do this by stripping stalk of leaves - you can cook these leaves if you like. Remove bottom inch of stalks, or wherever it's dried out. Peel tough outer skin of stalk as best as you can without going crazy. Cut stalk into equal size pieces and break head into florets.]
  • About 1 pound (16 ounces) sweet, garlicky sausage
  • 2 cloves garlic, slivered
  • About 1/2 pound (8 ounces) seedless grapes
  • Salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
Bring salted water to boil in medium saucepan. Boil broccoli rabe stalk sections ~2 minutes, add florets and cook ~2-6 more minutes until bright green or tender. Drain and plunge into cold water for a few moments, or run under cold water.

Cook the sausage over medium heat in a large, deep pan (note from me: I like to use a bit of olive oil in the pan), pricking it with a fork or knife a few times, and turning occasionally until nicely browned.

Remove sausage from pan (don't worry about it being done) and cut into bite size pieces. Return it to pan, over medium heat; cook, turning occasionally, until all sides of the cut sausage are nicely browned, about 5 more minutes.

Squeeze excess liquid from broccoli rabe and chop it coarsely. Add it to the pan along with the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes. Add the grapes and heat through. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Gossipy notes:
OK, there was just one time a bunch of us lost our appetites for Bittman's recipes - it was after he broke up with a woman he was dating on our street in the most ungentlemanly manner. Needless to say, I've come round to using his recipes again!

(Image via Serious Eats. Thanks Eugenia!)

60 comments:

Anonymous said...

Look very nice nad taste,mmm...!

Kisses and happy weekend.

Signe said...

Mmm, looks yummy! And unlike anything I have seen before with the grapes in it!

Have a great weekend!
And grats on your awards dear :)

K and S said...

fun gossip! this looks good :) have a great weekend and congrats on your awards!

Justine said...

I've never heard of 'rabe' for broccoli, is that very American?

Ann said...

Oh that looks real delish...

So colorful...

Unknown said...

this looks beyond yummy xxxxx

Anonymous said...

This looks yummy. But is there a reason why you have to cook the sausage whole first? I would just cut it up, then cook them because I am lazy.

little luxury list said...

Grapes - what a cool addition! That is so funny Bittman was dating one of your neighbors! I loooooooooveeeeeee Bittman (but am of course a married lady that just likes his recipes now)

Bombay Beauty said...

Love broccoli rabe -- must give this a try minus the sausage! BTW tried your popover recipe. I didn't get very much rise (probably because I made the mistake of preparing the batter one hour before baking), but they still tasted really good! xo bb

Rowena said...

He did WHAT?!!! Just kidding. This looks yummy. Have you ever tried pork meatballs stuffed with grapes? So awesome...you bite into the spicy pork wrapping and all of a sudden this burst of sweet juicy grape fills your mouth. Oh my god I think I know what to make this weekend but I'm adding the broccoli rabe!

Nicki said...

YUM! That looks delicious! AND healthy! :]

Ren- Lady Of The Arts said...

Yum- very colorful dish as well!

Brandi said...

I never think of putting grapes in savory dishes, but I love the idea. And I'd have to pick up some chicken or turkey sausage...I need to try this. I can even get all the ingredients at the farmer's market.

Jude said...

Thanks for your comments!
@Justine - the broccoli rabe is actually different from broccoli, a bit sharper, but very similar! :)
@Cafe Bellini - true, I take tons of shortcuts with recipes, and sometimes I do exactly what you said :)
@Rowena - I've never tried that - it sounds so, so good though!

Design Elements said...

sounds yummy :-) love BROCCOLI! have a great weekend

the southern hostess said...

This looks fantastic and includes so many of my favorite things!

jeanette from everton terrace said...

Vegetarian here but I like the idea of just adding grapes and garlic to the broccoli rabe - yum! Dying to hear an expanded version of the gosspiy notes but I'm trying not to listen to gossip - reading, now that's a different story (perhaps).

a little black cloud in a dress said...

I'll have to try this! Broccoli is my favorite.

LenoreNeverM♡re said...

I luv the idea of adding grapes!
~delish*

vintch said...

Looks super yummy! I love your little pun that you "lost your appetite" for his recipes:) that made me smile! I'll have to try this out-broccoli rabe is fabulous!

Marthie On The Move said...

girl you're making me so hungry!

http://shoesplurge.blogspot.com

Rosie Grey said...

Yum, that looks great! I haven't heard of broccoli rabe before but will keep my eyes open! Have a wonderful weekend, Jude!

BonBon Rose Girls Kristin said...

I bet I could get the dude to eat that with the addition of the grapes!

Stacey said...

Thank goodness you forgave Mr. Bittman!:-) Otherwise, i wouldn't be able to partake in this delightful recipe! Love the unexpected grape element:-). Have a great weekend-i'll be at the bar all weekend long-ha ha!(just kidding-i've got a baby to tend to, put i will be having fun). XX

THE ALTERNATIVE WIFE said...

This looks delish!!! Thanks for sharing, sweetie :)

Have a fabulous weekend! xoxo

HitomiNeko said...

yum that looks soo good ^^ I love veg mix with fruits!!

xoxo HitomiNeko xoxo
Vote for me to make my dream come true! Thx a million!

erica said...

That looks absolutely amazing. Thanks so much for sharing I just might have to give this a try.

xo

Anonymous said...

Interesting recipe, Thanks :)

Nikki said...

YUm, cant wait to try this!
Have a great weekend Jude!!

xx
Nikki

Sabina said...

Wow, that looks interesting, very yummy-looking :))
Feel free to visit my blog and follow if you find it interesting :)))
xxx

Lisa Gordon said...

This sounds so good! I love broccoli rabe, but would have never considered grapes with it. It sounds fantastic! Thank you for sharing this, and have a great weekend Jude!

lisa.

The Breakfast Lover said...

I like those diferent dishes, i love to try diferent flavours, for shure im gona cook it one of this days, will see if my boyfriend likes it!

noone said...

ooh that looks delicious and very healthy too!

abigail said...

grapes! I love putting grapes in savory dishes. This looks delicious.

Jude said...

Thanks for all your sweet comments (@ Stacey -haha, yes, I guess we all forgave him ;)).

Unknown said...

awww, looks delicious!

Unknown said...

Not much of a broccoli fan but I am thinking this could be tasty!

drollgirl said...

NOM NOM! it sounds so great! i always call it broccolini, but i have no idea where that name came from. i must try this! PRINTING!

Amber said...

please just feed me

Becca. said...

mmmmmm that looks so yummy! and yes i love finding fashion at affordable prices too, much better than spending £60 in topshop eeey!

thankyou for the comment on my blog :)
XOXO, BECCA
www.fashion-train.co.uk

stylenuggets said...

Have to confess I've never tried broccoli rabe. But now that I know what it is I'll look out for it.

karen said...

I would never have thought to include grapes. I'm going to have to give that a whirl. and um, okay a teensy bit jelly about your gossip story, it sounds like it's made up of all kinds of juicy details (and even juicier since he is also a favorite food write of mine too).

Lee Oliveira said...

You always make me hungry with your incredible dishes.
Looks healthy to me..
I might save this page as well... hahaha
LOx

Inez said...

Different combination, but I think it will be delicious :)

k said...

my goodness that sounds so good!!! Hope you are having a good w/e!

~*~ saskia ~*~ said...

I like broccoli! Have a great weekend, Jude, we have sunshine, so I'm doing lots of happy dances outside ;)

Anonymous said...

I almost died when I saw this dish. So gorgeous to look and and I am sure will taste even more delicious . :)

Thanks for brightening up my Saturday afternoon.

Trishna from Toronto, Canada

I V Y said...

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

ori said...

OH MY GOODNESS..It looks amazing.

Sorry, I've been off in lalaland lately.

Meghan said...

yum in my tum! I love broccoli rabe but have the hardest time finding it here!

Anonymous said...

Looks delicious! I could do with a bit more broccoli now and then ;)

Tanya Dempsey said...

This looks so yummy! Happy to have found your blog! New follower!

xx

November Grey


Stop by for beautiful $50 necklace giveaway!

Jamie-Lee Burns said...

yuummm sounds delish (minus the sausage for me!)

http://pagesixxx.blogspot.com

Renee said...

Broccoli is one of my favorite vegetables!

Vinda Sonata said...

aww thank you for sharing, jude.
broccoli is my favorite veggie, and combined with grapes it would be perfect.
thank you for sharing. i should really ask dev to cook this for me soon. thank you thank you!!

Julia, the Thanksgiving Girl said...

Wow, this looks sooooo good!!

Hannie said...

Hey, Jude, I´m hungry again, as always when I visit your great blog!
xoxo from Hannie

BALLET NEWS said...

Looks too good to eat !

have a lovely week

Style, She Wrote said...

Oh my! That looks delicious -- and healthy! Thanks for sharing Jude.

Cat said...

Yumm! What a fresh sounding dish! I can easily understand how you became smitten :)

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