Penne with broccoli

Name: Penne with broccoli
Cook time: 30 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 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

Brigitte Hafner

October 19, 2011

Substitute anchovies for pancetta if you prefer when creating this classic southern Italian dish.Marina Oliphant

easyTime:< 30 mins

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.

Ingredients

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

Method

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.