Eataly IS Italy

Eataly is the new(ish) Italian food emporium from restaurant heavyweights Mario Batali and Lidia Bastianich.  It is 50,000 square feet of foodie heaven, with separate sections dedicated to pizza and pasta ("La Pizza & Pasta"), Fish ("Il Pesce"), Vegetables ("Le Verdure"), meat ("Manzo") and much more.  You can make a night out by settling in at any of the aforementioned sit down restaurant/cafes or simply grab yourself a glass of Chianti and pick up some Italian specialties to make dinner at home.

After already experiencing several of the eatery options at Eataly and being thoroughly impressed, I decided I would try the latter.  I had already decided to make one of my all time favorite pasta dishes, Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe and on my way to Trader Joe's to grab the ingredients, I walked straight past Eataly, and I couldn't help myself from going inside, figuring they would have everything I needed for the recipe.

Inside I picked up Barilla "Regionali" Orecchiette Pugliesi, Parmesan cheese, Pat LaFrieda Italian Style Chicken Sausage, Broccoli Rabe and a whole wheat baguette.  Oh and a bottle of Flor Rose from their in house wine shop, a find from an earlier dining experience at Eataly.

Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

Ingredients:
1 box orecchiette pasta
2 bunches broccoli rabe chopped, tough ends discarded
3 shallots, thinly slices
1lb italian style chicken (or turkey) sausage
1 cup freshly grated good-quality parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Pinch of red pepper flakes

Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, cook broccoli rabe until tender, about 5 minutes, then drain broccoli rabe in a colander
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, cook the pasta according to package instructions
3. In the meantime, heat a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil and once hot add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally until tender, about 5 minutes
4. Remove chicken sausage from casings and add to the skillet, breaking into small pieces as it cooks, add a pinch of red pepper flakes and continue cooking until sausage is cooked through, about 12 minutes
5. Add drained broccoli rabe to the skillet with sausage and stir to combine
6. Once pasta is cooked until al dente, drain (reserving about 1/2 cup pasta water) and return pasta to the pot
7. Add sausage and broccoli rabe mixture to pasta in pot, add 3/4 cup parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste, adding a few TBSPs of pasta water at a time if dry
8. Pass remaining 1/4 cup parmesan cheese at the table.  Enjoy!


Eataly, 200 Fifth Avenue, NYC
For more information on Eataly, click here