Pizza Friday: Philly Roast Pork with Garlicky Broccoli Rabe

I try not to label something as "the best" or "the ultimate" because everyone's tastes are different. Plus, it feels like a major cop-out as a writer to use so many superlatives. That being said, this roast pork and broccoli rabe pizza is probably one of the best pizzas I've ever made.



I also try not to go into long, rambling stories when all people want to see is the recipe but hear me out. I'll be quick. We used to go to a local restaurant every Saturday for their roast pork with broccoli rabe sandwiches. They were amazing. The pork had just the right amount of seasoning and a nice kick from hot peppers. It was the highlight of my week. Long story short, the place went downhill and we haven't gone there in years. But I still dream about that sandwich. This recipe - both the sandwiches and the pizza - remind me of the heyday of that restaurant. And that makes me very, very happy.

The original sandwiches, which I made back in May and never blogged (ooops), were delicious but the pizza was even better. In fact, Steve said we should make another pork roast just for this pizza. As I often do, I squirreled away a bit of the meat for just this occasion. I happened to find it in the freezer last week and this pizza was born. Katie thought there was a wee bit too much broccoli rabe, but Steve and I disagreed. As always, use however much you like.

I'm including the instructions for the sandwiches and the pizza below since you'll have quite a bit of meat.

Philly Roast Pork with Garlicky Broccoli Rabe
From Cook's Country

Pork and Jus
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 (4-pound) boneless pork butt roast, trimmed
2 cups chicken broth, plus extra as needed
8 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

Broccoli Rabe
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, sliced thin
1 pound broccoli rabe, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Pinch red pepper flakes

Sandwiches
8 (8-inch) Italian sub rolls, split lengthwise
12 ounces sliced sharp provolone cheese

Pizza
1/2 ball of pizza dough
olive oil
1/2-lb grated mozzarella cheese
4 slices of sharp provolone
dried oregano and red pepper flakes, to taste

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Combine salt, rosemary, thyme, oregano, fennel seeds, and pepper flakes in bowl. Tie pork with kitchen twine at 1-inch intervals. Sprinkle pork with salt mixture and transfer to large Dutch oven. Pour broth around pork and add garlic to pot. Cover, transfer to oven, and cook until meat registers 190 degrees, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Transfer pork to large plate. Transfer braising liquid to 4-cup liquid measuring cup; add extra broth, if necessary, to equal 3 cups. Let pork and liquid cool completely, about 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate both for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.

Heat oil and garlic in Dutch oven over medium heat until garlic is golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add broccoli rabe, salt, and pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to bowl.

About 20 minutes before serving, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Remove twine and cut cooled pork in half lengthwise to make 2 even-size roasts. Position roasts cut side down and slice each crosswise as thin as possible.

Spoon solidified fat off cooled jus and discard. Transfer jus to Dutch oven and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, add pork, cover, and cook until pork is heated through, about 3 minutes, tossing occasionally. Cover and keep warm.

IF MAKING INTO SANDWICHES:
Arrange rolls on 2 rimmed baking sheets (4 rolls per sheet). Divide provolone evenly among rolls. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, until cheese is melted and rolls are warmed, about 3 minutes. Using tongs, divide pork and broccoli rabe evenly among rolls (about 1 cup pork and ⅓ cup broccoli rabe per roll). Serve, passing any remaining jus separately.

TURNING LEFTOVER PORK INTO PIZZA:
Defrost the pork you squirreled away and make another order of the garlicky broccoli rabe. Preheat your pizza stone in a 500-degree oven for at least an hour.

Sprinkle a square of parchment paper the size of your pizza stone with flour and roll the dough into a 14-inch round. Drizzle some olive oil on top and rub to coat all the dough. Top with the mozzarella. Arrange the four slices of provolone so they cover as much of the mozzarella as possible.

Reheat the pork so it's lukewarm. Distribute evenly on top of the cheese. Do the same for the broccoli rabe. Add a shake or two of dried oregano, if desired.

Transfer the parchment paper to the preheated baking stone and bake for 15 minutes, checking often to make sure there are no bubbles forming. I keep a poking stick handy to pop them during the first 5 minutes.

Remove from the oven and add more red pepper flakes, to taste.

Cheese Ravioli with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage

Melissa recently shared this recipe for Cheese Ravioli with Broccoli Rabe and Pancetta as a fast, easy weeknight meal. I was looking for something simple to make the night before Thanksgiving and thought I'd give it a try.


I adapted the recipe to include sausage instead of pancetta since I had some in the freezer that needed to be used up. I also blanched the broccoli rabe before adding it to the skillet to remove some of the bitterness. I loved the simplicity of this meal but SP tends to like pasta dishes with sauce and this didn't really have one. Even so, I'll make this again and just tweak the amount of oil and cheese to make a sauce.

Ravioli with Broccoli Rabe & Sausage
Adapted from I Was Born to Cook

1 bag cheese ravioli
1 bunch broccoli rabe, ends trimmed
3 garlic cloves, chopped
3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (more if you like it spicy)
1/2 lb Italian sausage, casing removed
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated pecorino romano cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a generous sprinkling of salt. Cook ravioli according to package directions. Remove ravioli with a strainer to a bowl. Bring water back to a boil. Chop broccoli rabe into large pieces and add to boiling water. Cook 5 minutes, then drain.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large deep skillet over medium high heat. Crumble sausage into skillet and cook until no longer pink. Add garlic and crushed red pepper, stirring constantly. Add broccoli rabe and heat through. Turn heat down to low, then add ravioli to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix everything together until ravioli are coated with all ingredients. Add cheese, toss quickly and serve.

Broccoli Rabe and Salami Pasta

On Monday I made a dish I remember liking a great deal this time last year, Broccoli Rabe and Salami Pasta:


This time I wasn't a huge fan. I don't know what it was...the bitterness of the broccoli rabe, the blandness of the dish as a whole...I'm just not sure. I'm glad I only made a half order because SP wasn't going to have any due to work conflicts. There was still a ton leftover.

Pat's Stromboil Bread

Broccoli rabe is my new obsession but I didn't feel like making it with pasta, so SP suggested we revisit Pat's Stromboli Bread, with a few modifications:


This time I used less broccoli rabe (1 bunch) and it still made a ton of filling. See how it overflows in the bread? Maybe I need bigger bread. I also baked it without the foil wrapping, which kept the bread nice and crispy. SP was happy to eat the sandwich with his hands instead of a knife and fork.

Pat's Stromboil Bread
Everyday with Rachael Ray

One 16-ounce loaf semolina bread
Salt
1 bunch broccoli rabe, cut into 3-inch pieces
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound bulk spicy pork or chicken sausage
3 cloves garlic, chopped
Pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
2 cups shredded provolone cheese
1 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
8 thin slices mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 375°. Cut off the top quarter of the bread lengthwise and scoop out the bottom piece.

In a deep skillet, bring about 2 inches of water to a boil. Salt the water and add the broccoli rabe in batches, simmering for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water.

Wipe out the skillet; add the EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, and heat over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, crumbling with a spoon, until browned, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the broccoli rabe and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg, if using.

Fill the bread shell with the sausage mixture. Top with the provolone, parmigiano, mozzarella and bread lid. Wrap the sandwich in foil and bake until the cheese is melted, 15 minutes. Cut into thick slices to serve.

Pat's Stromboli Bread

I decided to try a new recipe last night from Everyday with Rachael Ray - Pat's Stromboli Bread:


I didn't used to be a fan of broccoli rabe (too bitter for me), but ever since I learned the trick of boiling it to get the bitterness to leach out into the water I've been loving it. I was actually craving this recipe all day yesterday and I hadn't even tried it yet. But really, how can hot sausage and broccoli rabe stuffed into bread, topped with three kinds of cheese be bad?

My only problem with the recipe was the final step - wrapping it in foil and baking to melt the cheese. While I understand the purpose, the finaly product was soggy and fell apart. I was able to eat mine, for the most part, as a sandwich, but SP had to eat his with a knife and fork. I'm not sure what to do about this and it won't keep me from making it again, but this is definitely a problem that needs addressing.

We had a few bananas leftover so as a special treat I brought out an old favorite, the nutella and banana sandwich:


We were good and split the sandwich, but I made it extra rich by adding peanut butter on one side. Yum!

Broccoli Rabe and Salami Pasta

I saw Rachael Ray make Broccoli Rabe and Salami Pasta on her show the other day. It looked so yummy (and easy) that I put it on the menu for this week.


It was a cinch to make (especially because I prepped the broccoli rabe on Sunday). It had a slightly bitter flavor from the broccoli rabe and was perfectly creamy from the ricotta. My only complaint was that I couldn't really taste the salami. I think next time I'd get a hotter variety or ask the deli man to slice it thicker.

SP wanted me to take credit for the forethought of the meal being made on St. Patrick's Day and its vibrant green color, but that was a total coincidence. A happy one, though, because I was feeling guilty about not making something more festive for the holiday.

Fettuccine with Roasted Chicken and Broccoli Rabe

SP bought two large bunches of broccoli rabe to have with the burrata on Sunday, but I ended up needing only one. The obvious choice to use up the other bunch would have been pasta with sausage and broccoli rabe, but I didn't want to buy more meat when I had plenty in the freezer. After some searching on the Food Network I found this Giada recipe for Fettuccine with Roasted Chicken and Broccoli Rabe:


I added some chopped onion and garlic to make it more interesting and left out the pine nuts because they can be expensive. I also baked two chicken breasts in my toaster oven instead of roasting an entire chicken, which worked out just fine. I really liked the flavor, but neither of us was enamored with the dish. It was tasty enough and a good way to use up leftover ingredients, but I doubt we'll be repeating this one.

Burrata

Recently I saw an episode of Lidia's Italy where Lidia showcases burrata, a fresh Italian cheese made from mozzarella and cream. The outer shell is solid mozzarella while the inside contains both mozzarella and cream. SP went to a local Italian market looking for it last weekend and they special-ordered it for us. This is how it arrived:


... wrapped in leeks. I was really excited to try this cheese after seeing it on Lidia's show, so I served it exactly as she did:


... on top of grilled bread nestled in broccoli rabe sauteed with garlic and a drizzle of olive oil. I couldn't wait to cut into the cheese and see the oozing, creamy center but unfortunately our burrata didn't ooze. In fact, the center was mostly solid. It still had that creamy, buttery flavor, but the "wow" factor was missing.

I served this as a first course before we ate the rollatini. Everyone enjoyed it, but I think I need to find a market that sells it freshly made.