Because life is too short for every post to be a novela, a recipe.
This recipe is fairly beginner and mostly hands off, but not so hands off you can walk away without consideration. I have those types of recipes but this is not one of them!
The STAR of this recipe was an experiment I tried at work today (private cheffing for a family I adore!) that turned out so well, I’m sharing here AND making it again tomorrow for another purpose. The star is a parmesan and broccoli rabe crumb, which is hard to say but after one bite, you won’t be saying much.
This crumb is made by cooking down the broccoli rabe leaves in olive and salt until they are super crispy; you may even get scared while you’re cooking them, but I assure you, crispy is key. Then you chop it up REALLY finely.
Shave a parmesan brick with a vegetable peeler- side note: the pre shredded stuff is NOT the vibe here because we need the crumbly texture that comes only from it being freshly shredded- then chop the parmesan shreds finely with the rabe crumbs. And that’s it.
I know it sounds simple, and it is, but the things you can do with this crumb are amazing. Stay tuned, because I WILL have more to share!
In the interest of brevity, the recipe…
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 tsp garlic seasoning
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Preheat the oven to 400F. Combine all the ingredients and spread evenly in a baking sheet. Roast for 20-25 minutes, or until the the tomatoes are soft but still have their shape.
1 ½ cups cooked pasta
- 1 cup broccoli rabe leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 ½ tsp olive oil
- ¼ tsp salt
Heat the oil in a pan on medium high heat, add the broccoli rabe leaves and salt; and cook, stirring consistently, until the rabe has lost all moisture and is crispy, about 10 minutes. And cool
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Chop the parmesan and crispy broccoli rabe finely.
Toss the hot roasted cherry tomatoes, cooked pasta and broccoli rabe and parmesan crumb. Serve hot or cold.
RECIPE NOTE: from a meal planning perspective this recipe can be made ahead and kept on hand for later, as it holds up well over time. While all the component individually can be used in other recipes as well. And lastly, you can also freeze every component (the tomatoes, the rabe crumb, the pasta), prepared but separate, for a quick throw together- shit! What’s for dinner- meal 🙂