Broccoli and Pasta
The flavors are simple & wonderful. It can be served hot or even at room temp if you want to go to the backyard for a “picnic” during this time of social distancing, just to switch things up a little with your environment and get some fresh air.
You can make this pasta dish with any short macaroni. When i use spaghetti, i am sure to add some vegetable broth to the sauce so it doesn’t get too dried out. You can add some vegetable broth to this even with short pasta if you like something soupy. Sometimes, I’ll half the olive oil and add 4 TBS of butter with EVOO to make it feel extra saucy since this is not a tomato based dish. When I don’t use vegetable broth, I am sure to save my pasta water so i can add it to the dish when everything is getting mixed together in the pan.
Broccoli & Pasta
Adapted mostly from Giada’s recipe
Ingredients:
1 pound farfalle pasta
2 heads broccoli, trimmed to florets (about 4 cups)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup fresh ricotta
Lemon juice from 1 lemon and zest is optional, but zest before juicing to spare yourself some agony!
Instructions:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally. After 5 minutes, add the broccoli florets to the pasta and stir and cook for another 4 minutes. Drain pasta and broccoli, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, and red pepper flakes and cook for 5 minutes. Add the broccoli, pasta, salt and pepper and toss. Add some of the reserved pasta water, if necessary and not using vegetable broth, to make a light sauce.
3. Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with Parmesan, squeeze in lemon juice (add zest here as well). Dollop ricotta all over in large spoonfuls.