Pasta & Broccoli and Garlic

[Guest guest]

Pasta & Broccoli and Garlic

 

Ingredients

1 lb of Broccoli with Stalks

1 lb of Penne Pasta

6 lg Gloves of peeled Garlic and Chopped

1/4 cup of good Olive Oil

Grated Cheese

Salt & Black Pepper

 

Step1

Fill a large pasta pot with enough water to cook a pound of pasta and

bring it to a slight boil.

Step2

While water is coming to a boil, cut the stalks off the broccoli leaving

just the floret tops. Cut the bottom ends off

the stalks and peel off the outer layer. Cut the stalks into 1/2 inch

pieces When water is at temperature, put the

stalk pieces into the water and blanch them for about 2 minutes

Step3

While stalks are in the water, put the olive oil in a large sauté pan

that can hold all the pasta. If you do not have

one large enough, you can always mix it in a large pasta bowl, just cook

your pasta completely because you are

not finishing it in a hot sauté pan with the sauce. When stalks are

done, with a slotted spoon or spider, scoop out

the stalk pieces and put them in the cold pan with the oil and lower the

heat on the water.

Raise the temperature on the pan and sauté the broccoli stalks until

they become real tender. Now add a cup of

the hot water from the pasta pot to the pan and cover it so that it does

not splash with the hot oil. Remove cover

and smash the stalk pieces with the back of a spoon or potato masher

until you have a sauce like texture with the

water, this will become the sauce for the pasta..At this point lower the

heat to med low add a some salt and

pepper to taste along with the chopped garlic and mix it in, cover and

let it simmer..

Step4

Bring the pasta water back up to boiling. Take the broccoli tops and

separate them into smaller florets and put

them in the hot water for one minute. Scoop them out and put them

directly into the pan with the simmering

broccoli garlic sauce and gently mix it all together. Add the pasta to

the boiling water and cook it just under your

desired texture. When pasta is just about done add a 1/2 cup of the

starchy pasta water to the sauce for

thickening and mix.  Scoop out the pasta ( do not drain ) and add it

directly to the pan with the sauce a little at a

time mixing as you go on until all the pasta is in the pan.

Step5

Once all the pasta is coated you are ready to serve. If pasta looks dry

for you, mix in a little more of the starchy  

pasta water until it is moist enough.