Recipes
Broccoli Pesto with Penne
Pairs Well With
Serves 6
Ingredients
¾ pound broccoli crowns
16 to 18 large fresh basil leaves
1 small garlic clove, thinly sliced
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons pine nuts
¼ cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano or pecorino romano cheese, plus more for the table
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound dried penne rigate or rigatoni
Preparation
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Prepare a large bowl of ice water. Boil the broccoli crowns whole until the stems are just tender when pierced with a knife, 3 to 4 minutes, then transfer with tongs to the ice water to chill quickly. Drain well and pat dry. Reserve the boiling water for cooking the pasta.
Set aside one-third of the broccoli and chop the remainder coarsely. Put the chopped broccoli in a food processor with the basil and garlic. Pulse until finely chopped. With the motor running, add the olive oil through the feed tube, processing until the mixture is nearly smooth. Add the cream and pine nuts and process again until nearly smooth.
Transfer the pesto to a large serving bowl and stir in the grated cheese and salt and pepper to taste.
Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. While the pasta cooks, cut the remaining broccoli into bite-size florets. Just before the pasta is done, add the florets to the boiling water to heat through. Remove 1 cup of the boiling water and whisk just enough of it into the pesto to make a sauce that will coat the pasta nicely. You won’t need it all. Serve immediately.
