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July 23, 2018This is about...
Broccoli PESTO Pasta---YUM!
Broccoli PESTO Pasta---YUM!
RIGHT NOW, FRESH BASIL IS EVERYWHERE! Give it a whizz in the food processor or blender with some garlic, toasted nuts, olive oil and parmesan cheese and you have
the quintessential basil recipe---pesto.
For me, IT’S A TOTALLY UNIQUE CONDIMENT THAT’S A MUST TO MAKE EVERY SUMMER, Dollop it on chicken, fish, or mozzarella and slices of fresh picked beefsteak tomatoes, stir it into pasta, slather it on slices of bread instead of mayo, just to name a few--- I never get tired of it.
But there is one big stumbling block that may pop up when making it. It’s distinctive jewel-like, emerald green color is a big part of its appeal. So, WHEN IT TURNS INTO AN UNAPPETIZING BROWN, IT’S A REAL BUMMER. WHAT TO DO?
I’ve been trying to work out this conundrum for weeks now, TRYING TO FIND THE BEST WAY TO KEEP IT BRIGHT GREEN. I thought I nailed it, by heating the oil used in the recipe, and then, quickly wilting a specific variety of basil leaves, Genovese, into the oil. It worked once, setting the bright green color and infusing the oil with the basil flavor. Seemed like a win-win. But I haven’t been able to make it work since that first try. SO I SCRAPPED THAT IDEA IN FAVOR OF what I know will work every time—A BROCCOLI PESTO.
Now don’t immediately turn the dial. I know that adding lightly cooked broccoli to a basic pesto recipe may horrify traditionalists. I get that. And if you’re going to be eating a “real” basil pesto right away, we all know how yummy that is. It’s that oxidation that can happen later on, even sometimes during the making of it that’s got my goat. Like I said earlier, Genovese, probably the most available variety, seems like the best for pesto because for some reason, it doesn’t oxidize as quickly.
So, ALTHOUGH I LOVE PESTO, I THINK THAT I LIKE THIS VERSION EVEN BETTER. It doesn’t compromise any of the luscious flavor of a pure basil pesto. AND REALLY, YOU WON’T TASTE THE BROCCOLI. It’s just there as a vehicle for the sweet-savory fresh basil, nuts, cheese and garlic, with two advantages. It makes the pesto even healthier, and most importantly, it will stay bright green for days! And that means you can prep it in advance if you want. And, there’s NO MORE WATCHING YOUR PESTO TURNING A SAD-LOOKING BROWN BEFORE YOUR VERY EYES.
LESSONS Learned:
1. Make sure the broccoli is cut in the same size pieces, so they cook evenly.
2. Once the broccoli is cooked, immediately pour it into a colander and shock it. That means stopping the cooking to set the color. Usually ice water is recommended, but I never have ice in my house, so I just use the cold water from the tap.
3. Only use the basil leaves. No stems.
4. I know that the real way to make pesto is with a mortar and pestle, but I prefer using a food processor. It’s the easiest, quickest way, even better than a blender. Although if a blender is what you have, that will work fine too.
5. Remember to reserve a cup of the pasta cooking water. It’s easy to forget to do it.
6. Pignoli nuts are classic, and my favorite. But you can use walnuts or almonds instead. See below to toast the nuts.
BROCCOLI PESTO PASTA
(loosely inspired by Deborah Madison)
Ingredients:
1 pound dried pasta, such as fusilli or penne
½ pound broccoli florets, from about one head of broccoli
1-2 medium garlic cloves, peeled
¾-1 cup basil leaves, tightly packed
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
½ cup, 2 ounces freshly grated Parmesan
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
½ cup extra virgin olive oil, or more to taste
extra grated parmesan, salt and pepper to taste
1 cup pasta cooking water
Make the broccoli pesto pasta:
Cook the pasta according to the package directions checking at about 2 minutes before for doneness, reserving one cup pasta cooking water just before draining. Drain well, cool and set aside.
Trim the flowerettes off of the head of broccoli and cut into 2” pieces. You may need to halve or quarter some of the pieces. Some of the tender stems are fine to use too.
Place a colander in the sink. Fill a medium size pot with about 2 cups of water, and bring to a boil. Add a teaspoon of salt. Add the broccoli, stirring to cover with the water and boil until bright green and just tender enough to pierce with a fork, about 3 minutes. Immediately drain in the colander to stop it from cooking further, and rinse with cold water until the broccoli is cool. Let drain. You can use some paper towels to dry them off as well.
Using a food processor fitted with the steel blade, turn it on and drop the whole cloves of garlic through the feed tube to mince. Stop the processor, and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the broccoli, pine nuts and cheese to the machine and process until they’re finely chopped, about 1- 2 minutes. Add the basil, salt and pepper. Process again until finely chopped. scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Turn on the machine, and drizzle in ½ cup of the olive oil through the feed tube, processing until smooth. Taste for seasoning, adding extra salt, pepper and oil, if desired.
Stir the pesto into the cooked, cooled pasta, adding some pasta cooking water. Start with about ¼ cup, and add up to ½ cup to make the sauce looser and creamier. Taste for seasoning. Serve with extra grated cheese.
The pesto can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days, Or frozen for 3 months. If freezing, no need to leave out the cheese or top with oil. It will happily keep its bright green color.
Makes 4-6 servings. YUM!
To toast the nuts:
Have a bowl ready nearby for the toasted nuts. In a small, dry skillet (do not use nonstick), add the nuts, and over medium heat, stir them constantly until they are fragrant and browned. Immediately remove them to the bowl so they don’t burn. Cool completely. It’s best to toast them on top of the stove, because in the oven you can burn them very easily, and pignoli nuts are expensive! Keep any extra untoasted nuts in the freezer for up to a year.
For me, IT’S A TOTALLY UNIQUE CONDIMENT THAT’S A MUST TO MAKE EVERY SUMMER, Dollop it on chicken, fish, or mozzarella and slices of fresh picked beefsteak tomatoes, stir it into pasta, slather it on slices of bread instead of mayo, just to name a few--- I never get tired of it.
But there is one big stumbling block that may pop up when making it. It’s distinctive jewel-like, emerald green color is a big part of its appeal. So, WHEN IT TURNS INTO AN UNAPPETIZING BROWN, IT’S A REAL BUMMER. WHAT TO DO?
I’ve been trying to work out this conundrum for weeks now, TRYING TO FIND THE BEST WAY TO KEEP IT BRIGHT GREEN. I thought I nailed it, by heating the oil used in the recipe, and then, quickly wilting a specific variety of basil leaves, Genovese, into the oil. It worked once, setting the bright green color and infusing the oil with the basil flavor. Seemed like a win-win. But I haven’t been able to make it work since that first try. SO I SCRAPPED THAT IDEA IN FAVOR OF what I know will work every time—A BROCCOLI PESTO.
Now don’t immediately turn the dial. I know that adding lightly cooked broccoli to a basic pesto recipe may horrify traditionalists. I get that. And if you’re going to be eating a “real” basil pesto right away, we all know how yummy that is. It’s that oxidation that can happen later on, even sometimes during the making of it that’s got my goat. Like I said earlier, Genovese, probably the most available variety, seems like the best for pesto because for some reason, it doesn’t oxidize as quickly.
So, ALTHOUGH I LOVE PESTO, I THINK THAT I LIKE THIS VERSION EVEN BETTER. It doesn’t compromise any of the luscious flavor of a pure basil pesto. AND REALLY, YOU WON’T TASTE THE BROCCOLI. It’s just there as a vehicle for the sweet-savory fresh basil, nuts, cheese and garlic, with two advantages. It makes the pesto even healthier, and most importantly, it will stay bright green for days! And that means you can prep it in advance if you want. And, there’s NO MORE WATCHING YOUR PESTO TURNING A SAD-LOOKING BROWN BEFORE YOUR VERY EYES.
LESSONS Learned:
1. Make sure the broccoli is cut in the same size pieces, so they cook evenly.
2. Once the broccoli is cooked, immediately pour it into a colander and shock it. That means stopping the cooking to set the color. Usually ice water is recommended, but I never have ice in my house, so I just use the cold water from the tap.
3. Only use the basil leaves. No stems.
4. I know that the real way to make pesto is with a mortar and pestle, but I prefer using a food processor. It’s the easiest, quickest way, even better than a blender. Although if a blender is what you have, that will work fine too.
5. Remember to reserve a cup of the pasta cooking water. It’s easy to forget to do it.
6. Pignoli nuts are classic, and my favorite. But you can use walnuts or almonds instead. See below to toast the nuts.
(loosely inspired by Deborah Madison)
Ingredients:
1 pound dried pasta, such as fusilli or penne
½ pound broccoli florets, from about one head of broccoli
1-2 medium garlic cloves, peeled
¾-1 cup basil leaves, tightly packed
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
½ cup, 2 ounces freshly grated Parmesan
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
½ cup extra virgin olive oil, or more to taste
extra grated parmesan, salt and pepper to taste
1 cup pasta cooking water
Make the broccoli pesto pasta:
Cook the pasta according to the package directions checking at about 2 minutes before for doneness, reserving one cup pasta cooking water just before draining. Drain well, cool and set aside.
Trim the flowerettes off of the head of broccoli and cut into 2” pieces. You may need to halve or quarter some of the pieces. Some of the tender stems are fine to use too.
Place a colander in the sink. Fill a medium size pot with about 2 cups of water, and bring to a boil. Add a teaspoon of salt. Add the broccoli, stirring to cover with the water and boil until bright green and just tender enough to pierce with a fork, about 3 minutes. Immediately drain in the colander to stop it from cooking further, and rinse with cold water until the broccoli is cool. Let drain. You can use some paper towels to dry them off as well.
Using a food processor fitted with the steel blade, turn it on and drop the whole cloves of garlic through the feed tube to mince. Stop the processor, and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the broccoli, pine nuts and cheese to the machine and process until they’re finely chopped, about 1- 2 minutes. Add the basil, salt and pepper. Process again until finely chopped. scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Turn on the machine, and drizzle in ½ cup of the olive oil through the feed tube, processing until smooth. Taste for seasoning, adding extra salt, pepper and oil, if desired.
Stir the pesto into the cooked, cooled pasta, adding some pasta cooking water. Start with about ¼ cup, and add up to ½ cup to make the sauce looser and creamier. Taste for seasoning. Serve with extra grated cheese.
The pesto can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days, Or frozen for 3 months. If freezing, no need to leave out the cheese or top with oil. It will happily keep its bright green color.
Makes 4-6 servings. YUM!
To toast the nuts:
Have a bowl ready nearby for the toasted nuts. In a small, dry skillet (do not use nonstick), add the nuts, and over medium heat, stir them constantly until they are fragrant and browned. Immediately remove them to the bowl so they don’t burn. Cool completely. It’s best to toast them on top of the stove, because in the oven you can burn them very easily, and pignoli nuts are expensive! Keep any extra untoasted nuts in the freezer for up to a year.