Culinary Guides

A rustic weeknight pasta that leans on spring rapini and a quick tomato and white wine sauce. The slight bitterness of the greens plays off the sweet tomatoes and the warmth of garlic, and a splash of wine pulls it together. Blanch the rapini first to keep it bright and mellow.

• 1 bunch broccoli rabe, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup uncooked fusilli pasta
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian herb mix, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese, or to taste

Blanch the rapini and cook the pasta

1. Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil, add the rapini, and cook until bright green and tender, about 2 minutes. Drain, shock in ice water, drain again, and pat dry.
2. Boil the fusilli in salted water until al dente, about 12 minutes, then drain.

Make the sauce

1. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat and cook the roughly chopped garlic until translucent, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then add the rosemary, Italian herbs, and red pepper flakes.
2. Stir in the blanched rapini, white wine, and diced tomatoes with their juices. Bring to a boil, then simmer a few minutes to reduce and meld.

Combine and serve

1. Discard the rosemary sprig. Stir in the cooked fusilli, green onions, and minced garlic and simmer about 1 minute. Serve topped with grated Parmesan.

Grower's tip: pick rapini before it flowers for the mildest greens, and if you grow your own tomatoes for the sauce, choose a paste type like Roma or San Marzano. Paste tomatoes have less water and more flesh, so a homemade sauce cooks down thicker and less watery.

This dish is built from the garden. Grow your own rapini, paste tomatoes, and green onions, with a little rosemary.