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! ~

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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!)

Malasadas!

Addictive malasadas

Thanks to this delish post by Kat (and a comment by Rowena:)), I've been crazily craving malasadas - that addictive, hole-less sugary donut brought to Hawaii by the Portuguese in the 1800s.

Malasadas are crispy outside, gooey inside - so lovely when fresh.

In Hawaii, they're synonomous with old-school Leonard's Bakery.

Hawaii's malasadas - the Portuguese treat I couldn't find in Portugal

Embarrassingly, I visited Portugal so excited to eat malasadas (like going to Japan for sushi!) - but no one knew about it! A Lisbon resident explained maybe it was unique to Madeira Island. (He also said 'malasadas' meant 'badly-cooked' - so I went around Portugal asking for a badly-cooked thing to eat!)

(Images via TeamVision Virtual, jamesmargaret3rd, Hawaii Vacation Insider, Taste Odyssey and Road Food.)    

Midweek music energy: Una Notte a Napoli

{Original YouTube clip here}

A romantic, fun love song - of angels, Naples and amore - by Pink Martini (saw them last week). The song seems so glam 70s Italian.

Probably because Pink Martini wrote it with Alba Clemente (above), a totally glamorous 70s Italian actress!

Fun fact: Pink Martini has played a multi-lingual repertoire from Carnegie Hall to Cannes - they sang in English, French, Italian, Mandarin, Portuguese, Spanish & Turkish just in the concert I saw!

{We should all sashay down city streets dressed like this.}

(Images via Max Mara and anewscafe.)

Tea for two

I'm not usually into too-cutesy kitchen stuff, but I might have to make an exception for these Tea for Two sets, from Japan-based Shinzi Katoh Design.

I love the cheery feel and how little cupboard space they take up - perfect for city apartments! (Like the tiiiiny one we had in Central London:)).

(All images and products via Shinzi Katoh Design.)

Some local island flavor

 {Honolulu photographed from Diamond Head volcano summit}

The blue, blue sea and skies around you

Tropical lei (men traditionally wear leafier leis)

Sharka the cuddly toy shark (very popular!) won't bite

Friendly monster at Kailua Beach :)

~ Wishing you a week filled with blue, blue skies (at least in spirit)! ~

{All photographs taken in Hawaii, of course. :) Friendly monster made by my brother.}

Popovers

Popovers are so easy to make, you could engage a child in the activity (and he or she would probably love it!). For a time, I made these from scratch in the mornings, before work.

Popovers are best piping hot from the oven. They've a light, airy feel - and make a nice alternative to 'heavier' breakfast breads.

~ Have an easy, relaxing weekend! ~

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POPOVERS (Yields 12 popovers)

Time: 35-40 minutes of mostly baking time

Adapted from "Pretend Soup and Other Real Recipes" by Mollie Katzen and Ann Henderson; this child-friendly version appeared in NY Times Magazine (as usual, I never wrote down the issue)

About 2 tablespoons (~30g) butter

2 eggs

1 cup (~240ml) milk

1 cup (~130g) all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon (~1g) salt

Extra butter, jam, honey or maple syrup for popovers

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (~190 degrees Celsius or moderate/medium-hot oven). Melt the butter. Brush insides of 12 popover or muffin cups with melted butter. Break eggs into a mixing bowl, add milk & beat well. Add flour & salt and whisk until reasonably well blended - it doesn't have to be perfect.

Use a 1/4 cup (~60ml) measure with a handle to pour batter into each popover/muffin cup. They should be a half to two-thirds full. Bake 30 minutes without opening the oven. Remove popovers and prick with a fork to let steam escape. Serve immediately with butter or jam. (They also taste great dipped in honey or maple syrup).

(Images via Just a Taste and twenty-two pleasant.)

Complete food randomness

Since it's almost-Friday, something more kooky & random :)....

Random chocolate bar ingredients

Random food ad (desperately wish I could read this!)

Random imbibe-and-pedal mobile pub

Random cake show entry: Great Expectations Miss Havisham cake, complete with "vermin" (Would Charles Dickens approve?)

Random restaurant: Finland's Snow Village IceBar is made entirely of ice, even the tables and chairs! (And you can reserve it for igloo disco)

(Images via Cardullo's, Calvacade of Awesomeness, Ham at London Daily Photo, Hotham Street Ladies and delish. Thanks Ada for the cake link!)

Photo du jour: Pale light

To celebrate the colder season, I challenged myself to find the most "wintery" looking photo of Hawaii I had. If you pretend that water is freezing, not tropical, couldn't it be an arctic seascape?:)

{Photographed in Honolulu, but let's say it's Helsinki. :)}