Just My Luck

There must be something about St. Patrick's Day that invites disaster to my kitchen. Seriously.

Last year while doing some St. Patty's Day baking, a careless move caused me to drop about half of my cupcakes all over the floor. No good.



This year, I managed to nearly flood my kitchen, spilled an entire bag of candy melts everywhere {and some places, I'm sure, that I haven't even discovered yet}, and turned out a completely botched recipe {that I'm now trying to figure out what to do with so I don't have to throw it all away}. Sigh.

Isn't St. Patty's Day supposed to be "lucky"???

While I clean up the mess I made yesterday, I'll go ahead and leave you with a recipe I was able to handle without total catastrophe.

The only connection I can make to the Emerald Isle is the fact that it's got some green in it. I'll take what I can get.

As a side note, this recipe was the first time I've ever {knowingly} eaten broccoli rabe. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it turns out I liked it. I imagine that on it's own it's a bit on the bitter side because even with the sausage and cheese toning it down a bit, I could still taste that tinge of bitterness. {Though it could have been my bitterness from the day's events. Who knows.} All in all, though, I'll probably be using it again.

Hoping to post my St. Patty's contribution tomorrow... that is, if I can manage to avoid another fiasco!

Pasta with Sausage and Roasted Broccoli Rabe
Adapted from Real Simple

1 bunch broccoli rabe, rinsed and stems cut
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed {I always use chicken sausage, but you can use what you like}
2 cloves garlic, grated or minced
1/2 pound mini shells {I used gluten free brown rice pasta}, or your favorite pasta
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup sharp white cheddar {or your favorite melty white cheese}
2 tablespoons butter, cut up into pieces
Lemon {optional}
olive oil
salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a medium  sheet pan with a piece of foil.  Bring 2 pots of water to a boil  on the stove over high heat. {One for pasta and one for broccoli rabe}.

When water boils, add broccoli rabe and boil for 1 minute. Drain in a colander, and when cooled slightly, shake out excess water. Place onto prepared sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Put in preheated oven and allow to roast for 15-20 minutes, or until wilted and tender.

Meanwhile, add pasta to second pot of boiling water and cook according to package directions until al dente. 

While pasta cooks, add sausage to a large skillet over medium high heat, and break up until crumbly. {I like to use a potato masher for this job.} Cook until beginning to brown and no longer pink. Add garlic and allow to cook one minute. Remove from heat and set aside.

When pasta is ready, drain reserving about a half cup of the pasta water. Scoop pasta into the crumbled sausage mixture. Remove broccoli rabe from oven and add to pasta & sausage. Combine gently.

Add butter. Sprinkle cheeses over top. Mix together, adding a ladle full of pasta water at a time until desired consistency is reached and a "sauce" is created.

Squirt a few teaspoons of fresh lemon juice over pasta. Season with salt to taste if desired.