Orecchiette With Sweet Sausage and Broccoli Rabe Pesto

• Salt
• 1/2 pound broccoli rabe, stems trimmed off and discarded or saved for another use
• 3 cloves roasted garlic, peeled
• 10 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 1 cup finely chopped fennel bulb
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casing removed
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 500 grams (about 1 1/4 pounds) dried orecchiette, or fresh (made with 4 cups of flour)

1. Bring 3 quarts water to a boil in a pot and add 1 tablespoon salt.
2. Add broccoli rabe and cook about 5 minutes, until tender.
3. Drain and place in a large bowl of ice water.
4. Drain and squeeze dry.
5. Turn on a food processor and drop garlic in through the feed tube.
6. Stop machine, scrape down sides and add broccoli rabe.
7. Pulse until finely chopped.
8. Stop machine.
9. Add 6 tablespoons oil.
10. Pulse until pesto comes together but is not creamy or thoroughly emulsified.
11. Transfer to a bowl and fold in 1/4 cup cheese.
12. Heat remaining 4 tablespoons oil in a large saute pan on low.
13. Add fennel and onion, and cook until soft but not brown.
14. Add sausage and cook, mashing it to a fine crumble, until it is no longer pink.
15. Add chicken stock and cook until the stock has mostly evaporated and just glazes the sausage.
16. Transfer sausage mixture to a food processor and pulse until finely ground.
17. Return sausage to the pan.
18. Fold in broccoli rabe pesto.
19. Set aside.
20. Bring large pot of salted water to a boil.
21. Add orecchiette and cook until al dente, about 7 minutes.
22. Reheat sausage mixture and add about 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
23. Drain pasta and add to pan with the sausage mixture.
24. Toss ingredients together until pasta is evenly coated.
25. Fold in remaining 1/2 cup cheese, check seasoning and serve.

salt, broccoli rabe, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, freshly grated parmigianoreggiano, fennel bulb, onion, sausage, chicken stock

Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/12860 (may not work)