Farfalle With Broccoli

Farfalle:  Fancy name for something that's already pretty dressed up...bow-tie pasta!  Hyuck hyuck hyuck!

Here's a super-easy and super-fast recipe for some pretty darn super-tasty pasta.  You could even call it Pasta Fasta if you wanted to.  No?  Only one lame comment allowed per blog post?  That's fair.

What's up pasta?  I've missed you.  It had been, what, three days after I got home from Italy when I made this recipe?  Forget the detox plan...I've got to have you.

This is an extremely easy recipe that I made because I just happened to have all of the ingredients on hand on a rainy Saturday afternoon.  The flavour was simple but good, and I would definitely make it again.



Let's cover off the elephant in the room.  Anchovies.  Gross, right?  Agreed.  But.  But but but.  The thing is that they add flavour to this recipe...and not a fishy gross flavour.  Whether you use anchovy fillets or anchovy paste (like I did), when you are making the sauce the anchovies kind of melt down and dissolve into the butter/garlic/olive oil substance and you can't taste them or smell them any more.  Definitely don't omit the anchovies from the recipe because they add so much taste.  I substitute half of teaspoon of anchovy paste for one anchovy fillet.

Lastly...ah, Giada.  Beautiful, sweet Giada.  This is another one of her recipes.  Gotta love her.

Farfalle with Broccoli

Ingredients
1 pound (500 g) farfalle pasta
2 heads broccoli, trimmed to florets (about 4 cups)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 tbsp butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 tsp anchovy paste (or 5 anchovy fillets, diced)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.  Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally.  After 5 minutes, add the broccoli florets to the pasta, stir, and cook for another 4 minutes.  Drain pasta and broccoli, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat.  Add the garlic, anchovy paste (or minced anchovy fillets), and red pepper flakes, and cook for 5 minutes.  Add the broccoli, pasta, salt, and pepper, and toss.

Add some of the reserved pasta water, if necessary, to make a light sauce.  I added about 3/4 cup of the pasta water, about 1/4 cup at a time.  Transfer to a serving platter or plates and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Serves:  4 to 6






















The Hubby's Review: Really good. He ate it for lunch and dinner in the same day.  

Recipe Source: Giada De Laurentiis - Everyday Pasta