Orecchiette With Purple Sprouting Broccoli Calabrian Pesto Food

BROCCOLI WITH ORECCHIETTE

Steps:

• With food processor running, drop in garlic and finely chop.
• Cook garlic in oil in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 1 minute. Add broccoli, water, red-pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until broccoli is very tender and almost all of liquid has evaporated, 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in cheese until melted.
• Meanwhile, cook orecchiette in a pasta pot of boiling salted water (2 tablespoon salt for 6 quarts water) until al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain pasta.
• Toss pasta with broccoli and 1/2 cup reserved cooking water. Season with salt and thin sauce with more cooking water if desired. Serve with cheese for sprinkling.

ORECCHIETTE WITH BROCCOLI RABE

Steps:

• In large pot, bring 4 quarts of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, cut broccoli rabe flowers and leaves away from large central stems. Chop flowers, leaves and smaller stems coarsely, and discard large stems.
• Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add chopped garlic. Once it starts to sizzle, increase the heat to high, and stir in the broccoli rabe. Stir until the greens have completely wilted, about 5 minutes.
• Add pasta to boiling water, and cook until al dente. Drain pasta, and return it to pot. Pour cooked greens, remaining olive oil and cheese over pasta, and toss quickly. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve immediately. Pass extra grated Parmesan cheese at the table.

ORECCHIETTE WITH BROCCOLI RABE PESTO

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Set up a bowl of well-salted ice water. Cook the broccoli rabe in the boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes and then immediately plunge in the salted ice water. This will prevent the broccoli rabe from being overcooked and will set the lovely green color.
• Drain the broccoli rabe and squeeze out any excess water; coarsely chop. Place the broccoli rabe in the bowl of a food processor and puree until it is a coarse paste. Add the pistachios and parmigiano and puree until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning; you probably will need more salt. Add the ricotta and pulse until combined. Taste for seasoning once again-it should be full-flavored, slightly bitter and creamy at the same time. Set aside.
• Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. (If you are making the pasta right after the pesto, just use the broccoli rabe blanching water.) Cook the pasta 1 minute less than the cooking time on the package.
• While the pasta is cooking, place the pesto in a large skillet and add about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of the pasta cooking water; place over medium-high heat. When the pasta is ready, drain and add to the skillet with the pesto. Stir vigorously to combine and cook until the sauce is creamy and heated through, 1 to 2 minutes; add salt to taste. Remove from the heat, add 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil, if desired, and stir vigorously. Garnish with more parmigiano. Voila!

ORECCHIETTE WITH BROCCOLI AND PECORINO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
• Spread out the broccoli florets on a rimmed baking sheet and toss them with 1/4 cup of the olive oil and the salt. Transfer to the preheated oven and roast for 10 minutes, stirring halfway through.
• Meanwhile, add the orecchiette to the boiling water and cook until al dente, 9 to 10 minutes. Drain well, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water for the sauce.
• While the pasta cooks, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil, the anchovy paste and the garlic to the hot pan. Cook, mashing up the anchovy paste with a wooden spoon, until the anchovy has dissolved into the oil and the garlic has become softened and aromatic, about 3 minutes. Add the pasta, the roasted broccoli, and the parsley, red pepper flakes, pecorino, lemon zest, raisins and pine nuts to the skillet. Stir well to combine. Add pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce.