Italian Broccoli Pasta

• 份量: 5

步驟

1. Preheat the oven to 260° C and get a large pot of salted water boiling.

2. Prep the broccoli and garlic. Shave off the skin of the broccoli stems until you can’t see any more fiber. Cut off the florets from at least two of the broccoli heads. Break down the florets into very small pieces and place them on a sheet tray.

3. Cut up the stems into small pieces and place them into a bowl. These will be used to make the sauce.

4. Scoop up the broccoli crumbs remaining on the board. We’ll use these to make broccoli breadcrumbs.

5. Slice a few cloves of garlic thinly. You can add red chili flakes if you want some spice.

6. Roast the florets, boil the stems, and make the breadcrumbs.

7. Roast the florets. Coat the small broccoli florets in olive oil and season lightly with salt. Roast them in the oven for about 10 minutes before checking.

8. Boil the stems. Place the broccoli stems in the boiling water for about 10 minutes.

9. Make the breadcrumbs. While the broccoli cooks, put some olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add the broccoli crumbs from the cutting board and cook for about 2 minutes or until they begin to change the shade of green.

10. Add 1-2 handfuls of breadcrumbs to the pan and olive oil (if needed) to coat the breadcrumbs. Cook until golden brown and crispy. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

11. Check on the roasted florets. After 10 minutes, check the roasted broccoli. It will probably be unevenly roasted, so give them a quick stir and get them back in for 2-3 minutes. Then remove and set aside.

12. Cook the garlic. Clean out the pan you used for the breadcrumbs. Put the pan back on medium-high heat and add enough olive oil to coat the pan. Add the garlic and optional chili flakes. Cook for about 2 minutes and turn off the heat.

13. Transfer the broccoli stems to the pan. At this point, the boiling broccoli should be soft and mashable. Strain the broccoli stems and add to the garlic and oil, DO NOT DISCARD THE BOILING WATER. We need it to cook the pasta.

14. Get the broccoli and oil back on medium-high heat and continue cooking for about 5 minutes, using a flat wooden spoon to break up the broccoli and adding water as needed to start forming the sauce. Season with salt.

15. Note: You could serve this as is, or you could go on to the next step to make a creamy sauce.

16. Blend the sauce. Let the broccoli, garlic, oil, and water cool a bit before adding to the blender. Add more of the water used to boil the stems to ensure it’s a smooth puree. Carefully pulse the blender to start, taking your time, as heat in a blender builds pressure and can cause an eruption. Release steam every few seconds until it’s cool enough to puree on high. If still chunky, add a bit more water until it’s smooth.

17. Cook the pasta. Add pasta to the boiling water we used for the broccoli stems. The penne cooks for 10 minutes, so cook the pasta in the water for 8 ½ minutes, stirring occasionally so that none of the pasta sticks. Near the end of the cooking time, reserve about 1 ½ cups of the pasta water in a heatproof bowl. Drain the pasta.

18. Finish the sauce. Put the pot back on the stove on medium heat. Add the broccoli puree and use some of the pasta water to help get all of it out of the blender. Add the pasta to the sauce and stir to marry the pasta with the sauce. Toss in a tablespoon of butter and slowly work that in.

19. Finish cooking the pasta in the sauce for the final 1 ½ minutes. During this time, the pasta will absorb the sauce. Use the pasta water to regulate the consistency of the sauce and keep it from getting too thick.

20. When the pasta is al dente, kill the heat and add a little more pasta water to thin out the sauce before adding a few handfuls of grated Pecorino Romano. Stir immediately and vigorously to melt the cheese into the sauce nicely.

21. Check for seasoning and adjust the consistency of the sauce with pasta water to your liking.

22. Note: We thinned out the sauce because the cheese causes the sauce to tighten up. The art of pasta is knowing how much pasta water to add, when to add it, and when not to.

23. Plate. Garnish your pasta with the roasted broccoli florets, broccoli breadcrumbs, and more Pecorino Romano.

筆記

• 450 g Penne

• 3 piece Broccoli

• 2 clove Garlic

• 8 tbsp Olive Oil

• 1 tsp Chili Powder

• 50 g Breadcrumbs

• 50 g Parmesan

• 15 g Butter

• 1 pinch Salt