First things first:  For the past several years, we’ve been suffering through an escarole drought.  For reasons passing understanding, the escarole we planted just would not work.  Either it didn’t sprout, or it didn’t make it past seedling stage, or it got wiped out by pests. But, hope springs eternal, so we tried again this year.

We are completely overrun by escarole.  The heads are massive, and there are at least a dozen of them out there, just screaming at us to hurry up and harvest them before its too late.  So, I frantically searched for a recipe that uses a fair amount of escarole and found this one.  You’re welcome.

A caveat before we get started:  The recipe calls for Parmesan cheese, but that’s bullshit.  I used Romano, as any self-respecting person does.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Olive Oil

1 ¼ Lbs. Sweet Italian Sausage, casings removed

3 Cloves Garlic, thinly sliced

Pinch Red Pepper Flakes

2 Heads Escarole, coarsely chopped

1 tsp. Salt

1 Lb. Rigatoni

1 ½ C. Chicken Stock

1 C. Grated Romano

Start the salted pasta water to boil.  In a separate pot, heat the olive oil over medium flame.  When the oil is hot, add the sausages and break them up with a wooden spoon.  Cook until no longer pink—5-6 minutes.

Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and let cook for a minute.  Add the escarole and season with the salt.  Cover and let the escarole wilt for 3-4 minutes.

By this time the pasta water should be boiling so go ahead and add the rigatoni to the water, keeping an eye on it so it doesn’t overcook.

Uncover the pot with the wilted escarole and add the chicken stock.  Bring to a simmer and cook until the escarole is tender and the sauce is reduced by half.

By this time the pasta should be al dente.  Reserve a little pasta water, just in case, then immediately drain the pasta and throw it into the pot with the escarole.  Toss to coat the pasta and only add a little of the pasta water if the mixture seems dry.  Turn off the heat, add the Romano, and stir until fully melted and incorporated.

Serve with lightly toasted sourdough bread.

This is pretty good.  We’re planning to make escarole soup as soon as the Butcher Box arrives.