Photo by Judith Hausman Serve this dish with a big salad alongside and an apple cake for dessert. On a recent trip to Philadelphia, I discovered that broccoli di rabe (aka broccoli raab, rapini) can even make a greasy cheesesteak taste good. Broccoli di rabe holds up so well to cheese or sausage or hot peppers or all of these combined on a crunchy roll; so well, in fact, that next time, I’ll tell the guy at the Redding Terminal to hold the shaved beef. The sandwich will lose nothing at all. Thick-stemmed and sturdy, this green is easy to grow, healthy and so yummy. A little garlic, a little olive oil and a slightly longer braise than many greens (or than standard broccoli) mellow the bitterness. The combination here is along the same lines, but since I had eaten pasta just the night before, I decided to toss the goodies with chunks of sweet potato instead. Of course you could choose yellow-fleshed potatoes, crusty rolls or pasta; orecchiette are a good shape. I included sausage meat from my local pig share, and actually didn’t even sprinkle the cheese. Feel free to gild the lily with a flourish of good Parmesan or ricotta salata. Servings: 4 to 5 INGREDIENTS PREPARATION In a large pan, heat 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil. Sauté the onions, garlic and hot pepper gently until translucent. Add the sausage meat. Break it apart in the pan, and cook it until no longer pink. Season to taste. Add the cooked broccoli di rabe to the pan, cover and simmer the mix until the stems are soft. Meanwhile cook the potato chunks in another pot until tender. Drain and toss the sausage-vegetable mix with the potatoes. Drizzle with a bit more olive oil. You might also enjoy these Locavore Recipes: 
Judith Hausman
As a long-time freelance food writer, Judith Hausman has written about every aspect of food, but local producers and artisanal traditions remain closest to her heart. Eating close to home takes this seasonal eater through a journey of delights and dilemmas, one tiny deck garden, farmers’ market discovery and easy-as-pie recipe at a time. She writes from a still-bucolic but ever-more-suburban town in the New York City ‘burbs.
