There are times when you just can’t say NO to pasta. Pasta is a comfort food like mashed potatoes, at least for me. Fettuccine Alfredo is a dish that is fairly easy to prepare and the addition of the rapini, sounds healthy, yeah. Broccoli Rabe was in a prominent spot in the produce section the other day and that goes very nicely with pasta. Broccoli Rabe is an interesting vegetble in that it is not related to the broccoli family. Brocolli Rabe is more in line with turnips as the leaves look quite similar tastes aimilar as well. Also the tips look like broccoli but they never form into a full head. I whipped up an Alfredo sauce and added sun-dried tomatoes (still on the sun-dried tomato kick). You might consider this a dinner entree but when I eat pasta I prefer to have it for lunch and then eat something really lite like a spinach salad for dinner. Then of course take a nice stroll, not that I did, but I was definitely thinking about it!Serves 4
8 ounces fettuccine
3 cloves garlic minced (optional)
1 small onion diced
olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sun-dried tomato packed in oil, drained
bunch broccoli rabe
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup white wine
1 cup Parmesan cheese
Begin by boiling salted water for the pasta. In a large skillet add the oil and saute the onion until soft then add the garlic and continue cooking until garlic starts to brown. Stir in the wine and let cook down about half the volume. Now add the cream and let simmer to cook down and thicken. Meanwhile put another pot of water on to boil for the broccoli. Wash the broccoli and trim the stems, I use the leaves and all, it has a slightly bitter taste but when mixed with the cream and sun-dried tomatoes it has a sweeter flavor. Toss the broccoli in and cook for 3 minutes, drain well, chop and set aside. When the pasta has cooked and drained add it to the Alfredo sauce and mix well. Add the broccoli and sun-dried tomatoes, mix. Add the Parmesan cheese. Serve.