Pasta with broccoli and sausage
This easy pasta recipe combines tender broccoli, Italian-style sausage, hot pepper flakes, olive oil and garlic for a quick and satisfying meal that can be prepared in just 20 minutes. Top with grated parmesan and prepare for applause.
For best results, choose high-quality Italian sausage (or saucisse de Toulouse in France). If you wish, you can ‘Italianize’ your sausage with spices and herbs (see below). As for the pasta, fusilli (spirals) are a good choice because they absorb the sauce well, but in fact you can use any pasta you like, from farfalle (butterflies) or pipe rigate (tubes) to spaghetti.
And here’s a tip. When measuring pasta, I generally use a coffee mug — one mug per person with pasta like fusilli or shells, and a bit less for more compact pasta like farfalle. This makes a generous serving and avoids weighing the pasta. For example, with this recipe I used one mug of pasta and one mug of broccoli flowerets per person.
The quantities below will serve two people. For a vegetarian version, omit the sausage.
2 uncooked sausages (1/2 pound, 200 g)
2 tsp. plus 4 tbsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic
1/4 tsp. salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 dried cayenne pepper or 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1-1/2 ounce (40 g) parmesan, ungrated
a large pot of water
1 tsp. sea salt
1 head of broccoli
1/2 pound (200 g) fusilli or other pasta (about 2 mugfuls, see above)
Using a very sharp knife, slice the sausages into rounds. In a skillet, heat 2 tsp. olive oil to sizzling. Add the sausage and sauté, flipping occasionally, until nicely browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat but leave the sausage in the pan.
Peel and finely mince the garlic. In a large bowl, combine the garlic with 4 tbsp. olive oil and 1/4 tsp. salt. Grind some black pepper over the bowl. Crush the dried cayenne pepper and add, or add the red pepper flakes. Stir.
Grate the parmesan. Set aside.
Put a large pot of water on the stove. Add the sea salt and bring to a boil.
While the water is heating, rinse the broccoli and chop into enough bite-sized flowerets to make 3 cupfuls (American measuring cups) or 2 mugfuls. This is the equivalent of about 6 ounces, or 170 grams. (You can reserve the rest of the broccoli for another use.)
When the water boils, add the pasta and cook to al dente according to the instructions on the packet. Three minutes before the pasta is done, add the broccoli bits. Set the sausage pan over low heat to rewarm it.
When the pasta is al dente, drain the contents of the pot through a colander. Shake well to remove as much water as possible.
Transfer the pasta and broccoli to the bowl. Add the sausage pieces. Stir, and take a moment to sniff the delightful aroma. Taste and adjust the seasonings as desired.
Serve in shallow bowls, topped with the parmesan. Serves 2.
Variation: To give your sausage an Italian-style flavor, remove the meat from its casing. Combine in a bowl with 1 tsp. fennel seeds and 1 tsp. dried herbs, such as oregano, thyme or herbes de Provence. Go in with your hands to mix well. Form into bite-sized morsels and fry as indicated above.
