This dish has all the flavors I grew up eating from my grandmother’s kitchen. Pork and broccoli with garlic and oil with the olives. The cavatelli turn this into a complete meal that is very tasty and satisfying. This is an old school dish, do not make the broccoli crunchy, it has to cook down well so it’s soft and melts into the rest of the disk. I don’t add any salt until the end and taste if it even needs it. I hope you enjoy it.

Cavatelli with broccoli and Italian sausage

• 1 pound sweet Italian Sausage, casing removed
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 pound or large head of broccoli
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup oil cured or Kalamata olives, pitted and rough chopped.
• 2 teaspoons of chicken soup base or two bullion cubes
• 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano Cheese, grated
• 1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
• 1 pound of Cavatelli

In a large pot bring plenty of salted water to a boil and cook the broccoli for 6-7 minutes. Drain the broccoli but reserve the liquid. Allow the broccoli to cool. Rough chop into bite size pieces, set aside.

In a heavy frying pan with the heat on high, break up the pieces of sausage and brown till they caramelize. Lower the heat and add the olive oil, and cook the garlic for 1 minute till fragrant. Add the white wine and broccoli and cook down till the alcohol evaporates. The broccoli should be cooked well, old school. Add the chicken soup base and olives. Stir everything well.

In the meantime bring the pot of broccoli water to a boil and cook the cavatelli in it 7-8 minutes. Add more water if needed.

Before you drain the cavatelli, add about two ladles of the water to the broccoli and sausage in the frying pan. Drain the cavatelli and add to the fry pan with the sauce. Cook while stirring about 2 minutes then take off the heat and add the grated cheese and red pepper flakes. Taste for salt.