Pasta with Broccoli

This recipe hails from a friend of mine I met while I was still living in Singapore. Francesca D’Orazio Buonerba is a great chef and also a scholar of gastronomic and cultural traditions. Over the years, Francesca held many Italian cooking classes and her knowledge of Italian food, stories and history was always a treat to hear. She knew exactly how to integrate the food history with the recipes she was using for each cooking class. Her cookbook came to fruition because of the interest her students took in her cooking classes. The expat way of life comes to an end and we have to say goodbye to our friends as we move to a new place or back to our home country. Francesca left Singapore before I did and is now back in Rome. Before leaving, Francesca autographed her cookbook and wrote a lovely note saying that she would be with me, always, in my kitchen! My memories of her cooking classes live on every time I cook one of her recipes.

Serves 4
900g broccoli or cauliflower
3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
100ml olive oil
fresh chili pepper, finely sliced
grated Parmigiano or Pecorino cheese
400g short pasta (Orecchiette, Penne, Conchiglie)

Wash the broccoli, peel the stalk and break into florets. Cook broccoli in plenty of boiling salted (sea salt) water for about 4-5 minutes (until al dente). Drain broccoli but keep this water to cook the pasta in. Meanwhile, saute the garlic with olive oil in a large skillet. Add cooked broccoli and stir 3-5 minutes. Cook pasta al dente, drain (reserving some of the water) and add to the broccoli. Stir and cook for another 2 minutes. You may need to add some of the reserved water so that the pasta isn’t dry and will create a bit of sauce for the pasta. Serve immediately with freshly grated cheese and ground black pepper.

The Culinary Chase’s Note: For more flavor I add 3-4 anchovies. Don’t worry, when cooking the anchovies with the garlic, the anchovies melt away. You can also substitute fresh chili with dried chili flakes (about a pinch or more if you like heat). Adding diced pancetta is another favorite to consider. I like using Orecchiette (little ears) as the sauce clings to the pasta.