Rapini and Grilled Sausage with Mustard Tarragon Cream Sauce

In this episode of Cooking Outside The Box, Cynthia Lair shows us how to make rapini and grilled sausage with mustard tarragon cream sauce.

Rapini and Grilled Sausage with Mustard Tarragon Cream Sauce

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4-6 servings
Serving Size: 1 cup sauce

Also known as broccoli rabe, broccoletti, broccolini and baby broccoli this cruciferous vegetable common to the cuisines of southern Italy should not be overlooked!

Ingredients

1 pound link sausage
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons butter
2 bunches rapini, cut into long stalks
2 tablespoons chicken or vegetable broth
1 ½ cups + 2 tablespoons brandy or white wine
¾ teaspoon salt, divided
2 tablespoons mustard
2 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
¾ cup heavy cream

Instructions

To grill sausage:
Heat grill to high. Sear the sausages for 1-2 minutes on each side.
Then move the sausages away from the direct heat, close the lid and let cook for about 15-25 minutes, depending upon the circumference of the sausage, until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F.

To prepare rapini:
Rinse vegetable. Remove any tough ends. Leave rapini whole for a nicer looking presentation or cut each stalk in half for more eating ease.
Heat a large skillet to medium and add olive oil and butter. Then fats begin to sizzle, add rapini. Toss with tongs until all pieces become shiny and bright green.
Add broth and 2 tablespoons brandy or wine. Cover and braise for 5-7 minutes until tender but still crisp.
Add ½ teaspoon salt, toss and remove from skillet.

To make the sauce:
Place 2 cups brandy in a saucepan and heat to simmer. Allow to reduce by ½ (about 2 minutes)
Whisk in mustard, tarragon, cream and ¼ teaspoon salt. Amount of salt will depend on the saltiness of the mustard you choose (taste it first!).

Whisk the simmering sauce continuously for about 10 minutes until the sauce is thickened slightly by reduction.

Taste and adjust salt. Thin out with a tablespoon or two of broth if needed.

Slice grilled sausages and plate next to sautéed rapini. Drizzle sauce over all.

Printed with permission. Copyright 2012, C. Lair, Original recipe.