Pasta with Broccoli
A dish every Italian household has a version of. This one is mine. Joanna’s Pasta con i Broccoli (Exact Recipe)
Ingredients
• 2 heads of broccoli, cut into florets
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 dried Sicilian chilies, crushed
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Cavatelli pasta
• Sea-salted pasta water
• Freshly grated pecorino cheese, generous amount
• Sea salt, to taste
• Black pepper, to taste
Method
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season it generously with sea salt. Add the broccoli florets and boil for a few minutes, just until slightly tender. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the broccoli to a bowl, reserving the sea-salted water for the pasta. In a wide pan, warm extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add the smashed garlic cloves and crushed Sicilian dried chilies and gently toast until fragrant. Add the partially cooked broccoli florets to the pan and let them cook together with the oil, garlic, and chilies. Using a spoon or spatula, begin to crush the broccoli directly in the pan so it breaks down and becomes the sauce itself. Add a few ladles of the reserved starchy pasta water to loosen and emulsify the mixture. Meanwhile, cook the cavatelli in the same sea-salted water until al dente. Transfer the pasta directly into the broccoli sauce, adding more pasta water as needed so everything comes together smoothly. Remove from heat and add very finely grated, powdery pecorino cheese, about 1½ cups, stirring until the sauce becomes glossy, luscious, and unified. Finish with more extra-virgin olive oil, additional grated Parmigiano, and adjust with sea salt and black pepper if needed.