Wild Thing!

Casarecce con Cime di Rapa, Salami di Cinghiale, Pomodorini & Ricotta Salata

Casarecce with Broccoli Rabe, Wild Boar Salami, Cherry Tomatoes & Salted Ricotta

Making a delicious plateful of pasta is totally simple. You simply add good things to your pasta! No tomfoolery, no rocket-science, no complicated preparations and definitely no need to resort to any store-bought solutions!

Case in point- this beautiful plate of pasta here... I mean- how can you go far wrong with ingredients as delectable as these?

Obviously, the stars here are the wild boar salami and the broccoli rabe- but there have to be special prizes for the best supporting actors- the tomatoes, herbs and of course the salted ricotta... because the result was deserving of a food Oscar- I'm tellin' ya!

And you know- it really didn't take much to make this dish at all. 1 small bunch of broccoli rabe- no more than 1 handful of stalks. 1 small onion, 5-6 cherry tomatoes, 2 handfuls of pasta, about 3" of wild boar salami, 1/2 teaspoon of fennel seeds, 1 teaspoon of oregano, salt, pepper and salted ricotta for grating.

This will take you maybe 15 minutes to prepare- and definitely less than that to enjoy! And you will be making this over and over again after you have tried it one- I bet you, you will!

Begin by starting your pasta boiling and in the meantime, fry the finely chopped onion, salami and fennel seeds together in a dry non-stick pan... the salami has enough fat of it's own, so you have no need for extra oil.

After 1-2 minutes, add the stalks of the broccoli rabe, cut into bite-sized pieces.

Fry the stalks for 2-3 minutes before adding the halved cherry tomatoes, along with the oregano and some freshly ground pepper.

After the tomatoes have fried for 1-2 minutes, add the pasta, along with plenty of the water it has boiled in and the leaves of the broccoli rabe- and continue cooking everything together on the stove top.

Once the water in the pan has been absorbed, the pasta should be perfect and filled with flavor from the salami, the greens, the herbs and the tomatoes... just the way it should be! 

And for a final finishing touch... a shower of freshly grated salted ricotta and some freshly ground pepper.

And this my friends- is about as delicious and honest as a plate of pasta prepared in Wintertime can get! Enjoy!