Broccoli Rabe and Chorizo

Do you know about Canal House Cooking yet? I feel like you must, but if not, it's a venture between Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton. Both women come out of Saveur Magazine (my all-time favorite food mag, and the only one I actually subscribe to), where Hirsheimer was a founding editor and Hamilton was director of the test kitchens. They've done what I imagine tons of us would love to do one day. They quit their jobs and started Canal House, a real actual house where they do all of their cooking and photography. The product of all of that work is a three times yearly publication sent out to subscribers called Canal House Cooking. And these things are little gems. (Oh, and there will be random pictures of NYC in this post)


They're seasonal, first of all. Cloth-bound, and full-color. With photos galore and the kinds of recipes you imagine you might learn standing beside your mother or favorite aunt. I'll admit that I haven't cooked from them as much as I should be, having been a subscriber since the very first volume (we're on volume six now). But I'm changing that lately.


First. I made Broccoli Rabe & Chorizo because it was suspiciously simple in both ingredients and preparation. And I found everything easily, which is not always the case around here. Only one grocery store trip needed. I'm not sure how common broccoli rabe is elsewhere, but it's not hard to find in NYC. The fresh chorizo does much of the work for you, rendering its flavor into the greens without much effort.


A normal person might use this as a side dish, but I made it for lunch the first day and then continued to eat it as a great leftovers sandwich. Hirsheimer and Hamilton mention that normally broccoli rabe would be blanched to release some of its bitterness, but they skip this step and keep the flavor intact. The chorizo stands up to the greens, so I also skipped the blanching, but if you're not sure about broccoli rabe and how close the two of you might want to get, you can always give it a quick plunge in boiling water to mellow it.

Broccoli Rabe & Chorizo
Adopted from Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton's Canal House Cooking Vol 6

2 fresh chorizo sausages, cashing removed and chopped
Olive oil for the pan, plus more for drizzling at the end
2 garlic cloves, passed through a press
1 big pinch peperoncini
1 pound broccoli rabe, washed, tough stems trimmed, and chopped (don't dry completely, you want a little water still clinging to the leaves)
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook the garlic, peperocini and chorizo for about 2 minutes, stirring while you go.

Add the broccoli rabe to the pan and stir so that everything mixes together. Cook until the broccoli rabe becomes tender, but not overly cooked, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil at the end if you want.