Oreccheitte with Broccoli, Sausage, and Roasted Peppers:

First of all, this plate...I've had for over ten years. It used to be the server ware at Food For Thought -- a small restaurant where I worked. When I went off to college the owner gave me the old plates because she was buying new ones.

Anyway, this dish is really easy. In fact, I went home for lunch and made it in an hour AND cleaned up the kitchen. My friend Ilene made this for her family when I went to visit her in July. She even used broccoli from her garden. Impressive. I emailed her for the recipe later.

It's great if you and your kids like broccoli. And the roasted peppers you can buy in a jar at Sunflower Market on sale right now. Clearly, I didn't use oreccheitte, but only because I already had bow tie pasta and I didn't see the point in buying a whole different type of pasta for this:

Oreccheitte with Broccoli, Sausage, and Roasted Peppers:

-Salt

-1 lb orecchiette

-4 ounces sweet Italian sausage, casings removed (I think five sausages come
in a typical pack and I usually use three for this dish and freeze the rest
to use when I make this again).

-9 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (3 tbsp total)

-1 cup jarred roasted red peppers, cut into 1/2 inch squares (I just buy the bigger jar of the peppers and use half and save the other half for when I make this dish again)

-1/2 tsp ground black pepper

-2 lbs broccoli florets cut into 1-inch pieces (you could also cut up the stalk but I don't because I am a floret snob).

-1/2 cup water

-1 tbsp olive oil

2 ounces Pecorino Romano cheese, freshly grated (1 cup; I use parmesan because that is what I typically have on hand)

1. Bring 4 qts water to a rolling boil. Add 1 tbsp. salt and the pasta to the boiling water and stir to separated the noodles. Cook until al dente. Drain and return the pasta to the pot.

2. While the pasta is cooking, cook the sausage in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it into small pieces with a spoon, until browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, red peppers, 1/2 tsp salt, and black pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Increase the heat to high, add the broccoli and water, cover, and cook until the broccoli begins to turn bright green, 1-2 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring frequently, until the water has evaporated and the broccoli is tender, 3-5 minutes longer.

3. Add the broccoli mixture, 1 tbsp olive oil, and cheese to the pasta and toss to combine. Serve immediately.