Name: Zia Flavia’s pasta with broccoli
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 750 gram (2 small heads) fresh broccoli, well trimmed and separated into florets (discard most of the stalk); salt; 1 bay leaf; 3 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil; 2 medium onions, peeled and finely chopped; 2 clove garlic, peeled and crushed; 1/4 cup pine nuts; 2 tablespoon sultanas; 4 anchovies in olive oil, mashed with a fork; 2 tiny dried bird’s eye chillies, crushed, or a sprinkle of chilli flakes; 1/4 teaspoon saffron strands, soaked in 2 tablespoons warm water; 400 gram spiral pasta such as fusilli, or orecchiette; 1 cup grated pecorino romano

Zia Flavia’s pasta with broccoli

On one traipse around Sicily my husband Remo and I stayed with a fussy old aunt (Zia Flavia) who insisted the following pasta dish NOT be served with parmesan as it’s too sweet, but as she’s not here, and if that’s what you have in the fridge, then go for it. Otherwise seek out a sharp pecorino romano to give the dish a pungent bite.

Ingredients

750 gram (2 small heads) fresh broccoli, well trimmed and separated into florets (discard most of the stalk)

salt

1 bay leaf

3 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 medium onions, peeled and finely chopped

2 clove garlic, peeled and crushed

1/4 cup pine nuts

2 tablespoon sultanas

4 anchovies in olive oil, mashed with a fork

2 tiny dried bird’s eye chillies, crushed, or a sprinkle of chilli flakes

1/4 teaspoon saffron strands, soaked in 2 tablespoons warm water

400 gram spiral pasta such as fusilli, or orecchiette

1 cup grated pecorino romano

Method

1.Plunge broccoli into a saucepan of well-salted, gently boiling water, adding the bay leaf, and cook until very tender. Drain, reserving cooking water.

2.Put the oil in a large frying pan and add onions. Cook gently over a low heat for about 20 minutes, until golden, stirring often.

3.Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes, then add pine nuts, sultanas, anchovies and chillies or chilli flakes to taste.

4.Finely chop broccoli and add with saffron and 1½ cups reserved broccoli cooking water.

5.Bring to the boil, mashing the broccoli, then lower the heat, cover with a lid and cook gently for 30 minutes, adding more cooking water if necessary. The mixture should be like a thick cream. Season with ¼ tsp salt, or to taste.

6.Cook the pasta in plenty of gently boiling well-salted water until al dente. Drain and tip into the frying pan with the sauce, adding the cheese. Toss gently and serve from the pan (if the pan isn’t big enough, transfer pasta to a heated serving bowl and toss with sauce).

“I like to give a background to the dishes I demonstrate, to tell their stories to give them a time and place, and to cover all the little tips that sometimes don’t make it into recipes” – Julie Biuso
Note

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Ingredients

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