“Sausage”, Tomato and Broccoli Rabe Casarecce

So at this point, it might be apparent that I have a thing for tomatoes and pine nuts. I’ll eat almost anything containing those two items. The challenge lies in creating new dishes that employ their delicious contrast without becoming completely redundant. So, what could I do to make this new? Answer: Spicy Italian Vegan Sausage.

When creating a dish, you’re always hoping to strike a balance in taste and texture. In this we have the soft acidity of the tomatoes, the creamy crunch of the toasted pine nuts, the silky sweetness of the cippolini onions and the bite and heat of the sausage and yet the dish seemed incomplete. Enter the crisp, bitter beauty of broccoli rabe.

This was truly tasty and has since become one of my favourites. It’s relatively quick and very simple to make. And, the best part is, when you sear the sausage properly, you can fool carnivores. Which, if you read the About section, is what I’m aiming for. Yehoo!

“Sausage”, Tomato and Broccoli Rabe Casarecce

Would Rather Gather Original, serves 4
Prep time: 15 minutes / Active time 20 minutes

For the Pasta:

4 cups casarecce pasta
2 bunches broccoli rabe, rinsed, leaves removed and trimmed to 4″ lengths
2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
16 – 20 cippolini onions, peeled and left whole
4 Yves Spicy Italian Sausages., cut into 1/4″ discs
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil + 1 tbsp, divided
2 tbsp Earth Balance Buttery Stick
generous pinch of red pepper chili flakes
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
garnish with toasted pine nuts

Method:
1. In a sauce pan over medium-high heat, bring the olive oil and Earth Balance up to temperature. Place discs of sausage in pans and sear on each side until very crispy and black in spots. Once each side is seared, remove discs from saute pan, drain on paper towel and set aside.
2. While sausage is searing, bring water to boil in a medium sized sauce pan over high heat. Season water with sea salt, tbsp of olive oil and add casarecce pasta. Cook as per instructions on package instructions or until el dente. Drain and set in cold water bath to halt cooking, drain again and set aside until ready for use.
3. Once sausages have been seared, bring another medium-sized sauce pan of water to boil over high heat. Season with sea salt and add broccoli rabe. Cook until firm, just 23 minutes tops. Drain and submerge in ice bath to halt cooking process and leave in water until ready for use.
4. Using same sauce pan as the sausage, bring the residual oil up to temperature again, this time over medium heat. Add garlic and chilis and saute until garlic is golden brown.
5. Add tomatoes and cippolini onions to garlic chili oil and toss to evenly coat.
6. After tomatoes and onions have softened, 8 – 10 minutes, return rabe and casarecce to saute pan. Toss to evenly combine and saute until heated though evenly.
7. Season with Sea salt and pepper to taste, garnish with toasted pine nuts and enjoy!!!