Pasta With Broccoli & Italian Sausage - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 head broccoli (approximately 3/4 lb.)
2 1/2 links sweet Italian sausage
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
1 lb dried short pasta such as fusilli, penne, ziti
salt & pepper
2 ounces pecorino romano cheese, grated

Preparation

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Clean broccoli & separate florets from the stems. Remove the tough peel from the stems & cut into cubes. Place in steamer & steam to desired tenderness. Reserve the broccoli water.
Remove the casings from the sausage. Heat the olive oil to medium high and brown the sausage flattening & chopping until all is browned.
Add garlic, fennel seed & red pepper flakes. Cook until garlic is pale brown. Remove from the heat.
Add steamed broccoli & 1/2 cup of the broccoli water to the sausage.
Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package directions.
Scoop out the pasta & add to the sausage & broccoli along with 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
Reheat the sausage, broccoli & pasta & stir until the water mostly boils away & forms a nice sauce. 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.
If too dry add more water from pasta &/or broccoli.
Grate 1/2 ounce of pecorino romano cheese over pasta reserving the remaing cheese for tableside.
Salt & pepper to taste.
Can be reheated in microwave. Just sprinkle with a little water before heating.