A classic southern Italian pasta dish - you cook the broccoli until soft in the same water as the pasta. The key to this tasty dish is to drain the pasta and broccoli, and fry them a little in garlicky olive oil before serving. You can substitute anchovies for pancetta, or use salty pecorino, a more authentic southern-style cheese, instead of parmesan.
300g penne
1 head of broccoli, broken up into smallish florets
few tbsp extra virgin olive oil
80g pancetta or bacon
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
½ tsp chilli flakes
1 tbsp chopped parsley (optional)
grated parmesan to serve
Cook penne in plenty of boiling salted water. When half cooked, throw in the broccoli.
Heat a frying pan over a medium heat, add some of the oil and cook pancetta until crispy. Add the garlic and chilli, stir until lightly golden and remove from heat.
Drain pasta and broccoli - the broccoli should be soft and broken up - and add to the pan of garlic and pancetta. Cook for a few minutes, tossing and adding a touch more pepper, salt and oil.
Serve with parmesan.
This recipe is featured in the book Spring.
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