Simple Rapini Pasta

Total Time: 30 min. Servings: 2

Posted by Daniel

It was almost ten years ago when a fellow Happy Boy employee first suggested this classic rapini dish. I tried it and fell in love. Not only does it taste great, but it's so simple and easy to throw together. After eating this, you may feel the uncontrollable desire to move to a small countryside village in Italy, adopt an Italian grandmother, and spend the rest of your life drinking wine and dining on Rapini Fusilli - so don't say I didn't warn you.

INGREDIENTS

1 bunch of fresh rapini (aka broccoli raab)
½ pound of fusilli pasta (or similar small shape pasta)
2 large cloves of garlic, sliced
chili flakes to taste (a couple pinches should do)
salt to taste
black pepper to taste
extra virgin olive oil (aprox. 3-4 T.)
Parmesan cheese
cherry tomatoes or sun-dried tomatoes (optional)

PREPARATION

Cook the pasta according to directions, strain and set aside.

Pour olive oil into a pan over medium-high heat until the bottom of the pan is covered. (You may need to add more oil through the process if things dry out at all – don't be shy.)

Add the garlic and chili flakes and cook for about 1-2 minutes to release the flavors into the oil.

Cut the rapini into 1 inch strips. You can use the stems too, but if the stems are thick, you may want to add them to the pan first and cook for a minute before adding the leaves.

Add the Rapini to the pan and start stirring. You may need to add it in batches to get it all to fit.

Sprinkle with salt and stir the rapini so that it doesn't burn. It should start to steam from the
natural moisture in the greens. Once all the greens have wilted, they will be much smaller in size. Now, you can add the pasta to the pan and toss it all together to coat evenly. If your pan is too small, you can also transfer it to a bigger bowl and toss.

Serve hot with shavings of fresh Parmesan on top.

For a tomato-y twist, add cherry tomatoes or sun-dried tomatoes (re-hydrated) at the same time as the rapini.