Taste Buds

from the kitchen of

Literally ‘Pasta Marianne’, an easy to create Franco/ Italian dish popular in the South East of France and which originated from the Mediterranean island of Corsica.

PÂTES MARIANNE

Marianne Dubois was a beautiful and vivacious young lady popular with sailors and merchants who visited the island around the turn of the 19th Century. It’s reported she cooked and ‘socialised’ with equal passion and created this recipe to sell; supplementing and giving stability to her income. As she became older she eventually eschewed the societal element of her life and, having accrued enough capital, bought a run-down café in the old town of Porto-Vecchio and opened her own bistro. Her enterprise worked well and she quickly gained a reputation for both her menu and her anecdotes of past liaisons with minor royalty, adventurers, wealthy businessmen and celebrities of the times.

In 1952 she sold her thriving business for very much

money and retired to have a comfortable old age in the city of Lyon with her former trapezeartist partner Claude and always several cats. Enjoying her luxurious Lyonnaise apartment overlooking the

Ingredients

It’s traditional to use the Orecchiette (small ear) pasta but conchiglie will be a fine substitute.

For 4/6 guests: 1 lb orecchiette; 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided; 1 lb de-skinned Cumberland or spicy sausage; 3 garlic cloves, minced; 1 cup chicken stock; 1 lb broccoli florets; ½ teaspoon salt; ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes; 3 tablespoons butter; ½ cup freshly grated Pecorino or Parmesan cheese.

Bon chance, Pierre x

askchezpierre@gmail.com Rhône, Marianne lived very well until she was 97 and left her considerable fortune to set up and maintain a home for abandoned cats; remembering perhaps that she too started her life as a stray.

 Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the orecchiette and cook according to package instructions.  Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium high heat.

 Crumble the sausage into the pan and cook, breaking apart with a spoon, until lightly browned, 5-6 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic; cook for 1 minute more.

 Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of olive oil, chicken broth, broccoli, salt and red chili flakes.  Cook, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom of the pan to release the flavourful brown bits, until the broccoli is tendercrisp, 3-4 minutes. Stir in the butter until melted and simmer for a few minutes to reduce and concentrate the sauce. In memory of Mademoiselle Dubois I have served her recipe many times here at CP and to always I have a pleasing response so I imagine you busy housewives too will be appreciated for your effort, non?

 Drain the pasta well and place back in the pasta pot. Add the sausage and broccoli mixture, along with half of the cheese, and toss to blend.  Taste and adjust seasoning. Transfer to a serving platter or individual white bowls and pass the remaining grated cheese at the table.

Our guests here at CP tend to prefer our house red to accompany. Chosen for its consistent quality, we stick with our inexpensive Côtes du Rhône from a family-owned supplier in Avignon. Freezer-Friendly Instructions: This dish can be frozen for up to 3 months and reheated on the stovetop. If the dish has dried out a bit in the freezer, add a little water or broth while reheating. Just take care only to reheat it and not continue to cook.