Shell pasta with Cima di Rapa

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 200 g shell pasta
• 200 g bratwurst, coarse
• 400 g Cima di Rapa (wild broccoli / turnip greens)
• 1 onion(s)
• 1 garlic clove(s)
• 70 g Parmesan
• 2 tbsp fennel seeds
• e.g. salt and pepper
• e.g. chili flakes
• Water from cooking vegetables

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 40 minutes

Apulian style

Cut the florets from the Cima di Rapa. Blanch the smaller, tender stems and leaves in salted water for 3-4 minutes, remove from the water, and drain thoroughly. Important: save the cooking water; this is what the pasta will be cooked in and will serve as a base for the sauce. Cook the pasta in the vegetable water according to the package instructions. Remove the skins from the sausages and form the meat into small balls. Meanwhile, fry the sausage balls in a pan with a little oil. Finely chop the onion and sauté in the pan. Towards the end, press the garlic clove into the pan and add the fennel seeds. Add the blanched Cima di Rapa and sauté. Add 2 ladles of the pasta water and melt the Parmesan cheese in the liquid. Season with salt, pepper, and chili flakes, if desired. Transfer the pasta from the pot to the pan with a slotted spoon and sauté briefly. If you need a little more sauce, add a little more cooking water. Cima di Rapa is wild broccoli and is sometimes sold in Germany under the name Stängelkohl.