A traditional and very tasty Puglian way of dealing with broccoli. To serve 4 you'll need:
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 pound (500 g) broccoli florets
- 1/4 pound (100 g) salted ricotta, grated (if you cannot find salted ricotta, substitute Pecorino Romano for it).
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- A small bunch parsley, minced
- 1/2 cup grated cheese, either all Parmigiano or half Parmigiano and half Pecorino Romano
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Pepper to taste (salt should not be necessary)
- 1 pound (500 g) orecchiette or other short firm-walled pasta, e.g. farfalle (butterflies or bow ties)
Preparation:
Set a pot of salted water to boil.
Meanwhile, wash the broccoli florets and break them up into fairly small pieces. When the water comes to a boil, throw in the pasta, stir it, and add the broccoli.
While the pasta and broccoli cook, mince the parsley and the garlic, and sauté them gently in the oil, in a large skillet. Do not let the garlic brown. When the pasta is still a minute or so shy of being done, drain it and transfer the pasta-broccoli mixture to the skillet (it should still be a little moist, so don't shake all the water out of it while it's in the colander).
Stir in the ricotta, season the pasta with pepper to taste, and continue cooking over high heat until the pasta's done, stirring vigorously. Transfer the pasta to a serving dish, dust it with the grated Parmigiano, and serve.
A wine? Castel del Monte Bianco would be nice here.
Meanwhile, wash the broccoli florets and break them up into fairly small pieces. When the water comes to a boil, throw in the pasta, stir it, and add the broccoli.
While the pasta and broccoli cook, mince the parsley and the garlic, and sauté them gently in the oil, in a large skillet. Do not let the garlic brown. When the pasta is still a minute or so shy of being done, drain it and transfer the pasta-broccoli mixture to the skillet (it should still be a little moist, so don't shake all the water out of it while it's in the colander).
Stir in the ricotta, season the pasta with pepper to taste, and continue cooking over high heat until the pasta's done, stirring vigorously. Transfer the pasta to a serving dish, dust it with the grated Parmigiano, and serve.
A wine? Castel del Monte Bianco would be nice here.
Gungsa asked about orecchiette.
Orecchiette is a pasta shape that is not quite semispherical, and about 3/4 of an inch across. The word orecchiette means little ears, and they do bring the shape of an ear to mind. A good substitute would be farfalle, butterflies or bow ties. Thanks for asking!
Kyle Phillips, Your Guide to Italian Cooking
