Chocolate Pasta with Broccoli Rabe

When I started this blog, I wanted to stretch myself, perhaps learn a few new things and exercise my creativity. Chocolate pasta is a stretch and it is creative, but the real test for getting out of the box is how to eat it. I wanted to jump out of that box and push that chocolate envelope.

There is no further push than broccoli rabe. Broccoli rabe also commonly called rapini. It is NOT broccoli, and is closer to the turnip. It’s bitter, but when combined with olive oil, garlic, salt, and dried chili pepper, it brings an “umami” type moment that makes you want that next bite and the next. It is an acquired taste, but one worth acquiring. To even further the depth of such flavor, I paired it with a homemade chocolate pasta. And, to make Mr. Spinach Tiger happier, some sausage found its way onto his plate.

Flavoring pasta
Making chocolate pasta is really quite simple. I have a standard pasta recipe that I always use when making pasta, no matter what type of flour I choose. Two eggs and one cup of flour. From there I add in extra flour as I need to.

I did not use a cocoa powder because that is bitter and I didn’t want to add sugar, but you could go that route. Instead I melted a semi-sweet chocolate and added it in after the second egg and then added in more flour as necessary.

Recipe for Chocolate Pasta with Broccoli Rabe (Use pasta recipe below)
Ingredients

• 1 pound broccoli rabe
• 1/3 extra virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• salt, pepper
• red chili pepper
• 1 pound chocolate pasta (see below)
• Pecorino cheese (for topping, optional)