I'm not sure who Antonia is, but considering how similar this is to orecchiette coi broccoletti, she may be from Southern Italy. You could also use bacon here. To serve 4-6:
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 pound (450 g) spaghetti
- 2/3 pound (300 g) broccoli florets, chopped
- 1/4 pound (100 g) smoked pancetta or bacon (use bacon that contains as little sugar as possible), diced
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 hot pepper, shredded
- 1 clove garlic
- 4 tablespoons grated pecorino romano
Preparation:
You can if need be use cauliflower florets instead. In either case, bring pasta water to boil, and while it's heating, heat the oil in a large skillet and sauté the garlic clove, hot pepper and diced pancetta. When the pancetta is lightly browned fish out and discard the garlic, and add the broccoli florets. Salt the mixture lightly and cook over a low flame until the broccoli is done, about 25 minutes, stirring every now and again.During this time the pasta pot will have come to a boil. Cook the pasta, timing things so it will be done when the sauce is, drain it when it's still slightly too al dente, transfer it to the skillet, and toss over high heat for a minute or so. Transfer the pasta to a serving bowl, dust it with the grated pecorino, and serve.
Serve with a white wine, and I might go with a Castel del Monte.
