*The roasted garlic is not essential to this dish, but I happened to have a freshly roasted head of garlic on hand one night when I was making this, and I felt it added a subtle, rich dimension.
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Fill almost to the brim a large pot with salted water, and bring to a boil Meanwhile, prepare the broccoli rabe by cutting off the stems and peeling them. When the water is boiling vigorously, put all the broccoli rabe in a strainer and set that into the boiling water. Blanch the broccoli for 1 minute, then remove and run cold water over it. This preliminary blanching sets the color and tames the bitterness, particularly in the broccoli rabe. After draining well, cut the branches and stems into 1-inch pieces. Now drop the penne in the boiling water, and while it is cooking, sauté the garlic slivers in the olive oil in a wok or a medium skillet. When the garlic is softened, add the broccoli rabe, and squeeze the roasted garlic out of its skin into the pan. Mix well, salt to taste, and scatter in the pepper flakes. Cook until the broccoli is just tender, then remove from the heat.
Step 2
When the penne is done al dente, scoop it up and mix in with the greens. Heat through, then off heat, stir in about 1/4 cup grated Parmesan. Remove to a warm pasta bowl, and sprinkle on more cheese if you like.
