The Beantown Bloggery

I can't remember the last time I cooked.  I remember it was osso bucco, but it was so long ago I can't remember when I actually cooked it.  I'm definitely doing at least a little cooking for Thanksgiving and I was recently emailed about Ken Oringer's appearance on the Rachael Ray Show.  Here's the recipe he shared:

Ken Oringer's Orecchiette with Chicken Sausage and Long Cooked Broccoli

Ingredients

For the Orecchiette:
1 pound orecchiette
Chicken Sausage
Long-Cooked Broccoli
Parmigiano Reggiano, to taste

For the Chicken Sausage:
1 pound ground chicken thighs
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Crushed red pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander, toasted
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika

Long Cooked Broccoli:
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Crushed red pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground fennel seed
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 heads of broccoli, finely chopped
12 ounces chicken stock
2 sprigs of thyme, leaves chopped
1/2 cup canned, crushed San Marzano tomatoes
3 tablespoon butter

Preparation

For the Orecchiette:
Add orecchiette to a casserole dish with broccoli sauce, along with the crumbled sausage and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and spoon into bowls. Sprinkle with Parmigiano Reggiano and serve.

For the Chicken Sausage:
Mix all ingredients in a bowl, and cover with plastic. Let marinate overnight.
Preheat oven to 400°F, spread mixture on a cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes until browned and cooked through. Crumble when cool and set aside.

For the Long Cooked Broccoli:
In a large casserole dish, heat the olive oil and sauté onion, garlic and spices until translucent. Add broccoli, chicken stock, thyme and tomatoes, and bring to a boil. Stew slowly until broccoli starts falling apart, about 45 minutes to an hour. Swirl in the butter and reserve.

MMmmMM.... "swirl in the butter."  That's bound to make anything taste good.

Click (here) to watch the clip.