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Cavatelli with Chorizo and Rapini

Used with permission from the new cookbook Pure Food by Christine Cushing

Alterations should be made to fit with your dietary needs. Please consult with your medical team before you attempt to make this recipe.

Cavatelli with Chorizo and Rapini: Makes 4 to 6 servings 1 1-lb (500-g) pkg cavatelli pasta or penne 2 Tbsp olive oil (25 mL) 2 raw spicy chorizo sausages, casing removed, crumbled 1 small onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 bunch rapini, washed, roughly chopped and blanched in boiling water for 2 minutes 1/4 cup vermouth (50 mL) 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved (500 mL) Handful fresh parsley 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, or to taste (50 mL) 1/2 cup whipping (35%) cream (125 mL) 1 cup chicken stock (250 mL)

• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat
• Add the sausage and cook until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes
• Add the onion and sauté for 3 minutes or until soft
• Add the garlic and sauté for about 1 minute or until softened
• Pour in the vermouth to deglaze the skillet before adding the chicken stock
• Continue cooking for about 7 minutes or until the liquid has reduced by half
• Add the cream and bring back to a simmer
• Add the grape tomatoes, cook for 1 minute just to soften, and then remove from heat
• While the sauce is cooking, place a pasta insert (if you have) into the pot
• Blanch the rapini for 2 minutes in the pot to soften
• Pull out the pasta insert, draining the rapini, and reserve the boiling water in the pot
• Add the blanched rapini to the sauce and set aside
• Return the water to a boil over high heat
• Add the cavatelli to the pot and cook for 6 to 7 minutes or until al dente
Drain the pasta, discarding the water, and return the pasta to the dry pot Pour over the prepared sauce, add the Parmesan and cook for a further minute over medium heat, just until the pasta absorbs some of the sauce Garnish with parsley, season the pasta with salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes

This is the way I like to use cream in my pasta: I add some chicken stock and vermouth to balance the sweet, thick consistency of the cream, this way I still get the body but it isn’t too rich or fatty. The chorizo, a spicy sausage available in Latin American or specialty butcher shops, gives the dish a hot kick. Cavatelli is a shell-shaped pasta with rolled in edges, but penne will do if you don’t have.

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