Should you ever be in New York City, specifically the Greenwich Village neighborhood, and even better, find yourself going to or leaving from a concert at The Blue Note, do yourself a favor and have a pizza at Denino’s Pizzeria and Tavern. You will not be disappointed.
As a side note, The Blue Note is an iconic music venue that has hosted bands like The Pixies, Stevie Wonder, Tony Bennett and R.E.M. We have been several times and every artist who steps foot on that stage is a music savant without question. We happened to see Meshell Ndegeocllo. We weren’t familiar with her, but we are now! She was incredible.
Ok, back to pizza. We discovered Denino’s many years ago and have been going back every chance we get. Our favorite item on the menu is their Rabe/Sausage Pie, which has sweet Italian sausage, sautéed broccoli rabe and no sauce. It is outrageously good.
Something about the slight bitterness of the broccoli rabe, which is sautéed in garlic and olive oil, combined with the sweetness of Italian Sausage, and gooey, melted mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses…
All I can say is WOW. It is simply heavenly and immediately brings a smile to your face. Actually, the smile is usually already there just in anticipation of this amazing pie.
And also in seeing Joe, the owner, who is so warm and welcoming to us every time he sees us. He remembers us every time we come in even if several years go by. We have a North Carolina connection in a round about way. It just makes Denino’s that much better.
You may be wondering how I am able to even eat the pizza at Denino’s with the carbs and potential sugar. I can thank the fabulous walkable streets of Manhattan for that. I have a little wiggle room after a day in The City.
Sadly, Denino’s is about 600 miles away from me this evening, so I am working to recreate that delicious pie at home. The difference being that I am using a cauliflower crust, which is gluten free and also a bit lower in carbs.
There are a few steps, but once you get everything together, all you have to do is wait to throw it in the oven. The beauty is it is a great make ahead dinner. Take a break, relax for a bit and then throw that deliciousness in the oven for about 10-12 minutes and you’re visiting Denino’s. A little bit.
Layering the Pie:
Step 1:
Step 2:
Step 3:
Step 4:
Denino’s Rabe/Sausage Pie
Ingredients
- 2 crusts cauliflower pizza Caulipower for example
- 1 cup uncooked sweet Italian sausage
- 2 TB olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4 cups broccoli rabe cleaned and pulled from stems
- ½ cup shredded parmesan
- 1 ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup grated parmesan
- red pepper flake to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425℉
- Place pizza crusts on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper
- Spray crusts with olive oil
- Bake for 12 minutes
- While crust is baking, brown Italian sausage in a bit of olive oil in a stovepot pan over medium high heat. Drain over paper towels.
- Saute broccoli rabe in stovetop pan with olive oil and garlic until cooked down.
- Begin your steps of layering the pie. I begin with the mozzarella and a bit of shredded parm, then add sausage, broccoli rabe and final layers of cheese.
- Sprinkle red pepper flakes on top before baking.
- Bake at 425℉ for 8 minutes or until bubbly.
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