Broccoli and Cavatelli

Cavatelli and broccoli is great to serve a crowd.

As promised. But first some back story..... or you can skip to the recipe:

When I first started making this recipe, it was really simple, I'd saute some garlic in olive oil, thaw some frozen broccoli florets, cook the pasta in some chicken broth and throw everything together (sans most of the cooking broth)when the pasta was cooked, and generously add cracked pepper and Parmesan. Basically it comes together in the time it takes to cook some pasta, it's inexpensive to make, and thus is a great dish to serve for a crowd. And, back when our kids were home, pretty much every Sunday was a crowd.

One such Sunday, I was expecting a houseful and had no cavatelli in the freezer. My husband John was heading out to do some errands and so I asked him to get a few pounds at the Shop-Rite. Now broccoli and cavatelli is a very common dish in NJ and was in our home so when John cam home with no pasta saying that the store didn't have any, I was stunned because they ALWAYS have them.

Me: You searched through all the frozen pasta and there were none?

John: Yes dear, why would I say there were none if I hadn't searched.

Me: That makes no sense to me. Were you looking for the right thing?

John: Yes, I think I know what gavadeel is, there was nothing besides gnocchi that even began with a G.

Me: With a G?!? Spelled c-a-v-a-t-e-l-l-i!

John: Then why the hell didn't you say that?

Me: I did! You understand mootsadell (mozzarella), kalamad (calamari), and pruhzoot (prosciutto), but not gavadeel!?!?

This was even more frustrating because there were no cell phones and it culminated in a second trip to the store. In Maine, in most stores and restaurants I have to consciously pronounce things in a very Americanized way or people look at me funny. In NJ, the dialect I inherited from my mom and Nana works just fine -- except on John that one time.

You can still make this dish the way I described here: it's what I grew up with and it worked great for us for 25 or so years. Or, you can ramp it up a bit which I have done over the years -- thanks to inspiration from some of the cooking shows I watch and my latest encounter with Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat. More on that in another post.....

For now, let's just say that Ms. Nosrat has inspired a new wave of experimentation when I'm cooking.

Now I'll go back to the evolved broccoli and cavatelli recipe.

THE RECIPE:

3 or 4 cloves of garlic sliced

olive oil with a pinch of salt or sauteing

juice and zest of 1 lemon (I had left over lemon slices so altered things a bit)

1/4C white wine

1-2 T chicken or vegetable soup base

cracked black pepper

crushed red pepper

2-3 cups broccoli florets

1 C grated Parmesan

Heat some olive oil in a large skillet

Add the sliced garlic and a pinch of salt and reduce heat to let garlic slow saute to a golden color.

Since I was looking to use up the lemon slices, I added them to the saute and let them caramelize a bit with the garlic. (If using zest, I would toss it with the pasta at the very end)

Cut the broccoli into florets and thinly slice the closest stalks.

Add the stalk slices to the saute to tenderize

Combine the lemon juice and white wine in a small bowl and stir in 1T of soup base. (I use chicken, but vegetable base will keep the dish vegetarian)

Once the saute begins to caramelize, use the wine/ lemon/ mixture to deglaze the pan and simmer to reduce a bit.

At this point, you can stop and save the rest of the prep for serving time, or you can continue....

Turn off the saute while cooking the pasta

Cook the pasta in well salted boiling water

While the pasta is cooking, place the broccoli in a colander and set it in your sink (make sure the sink is clean)

Just before the pasta is done, use a glass measuring cup with a handle to collect about a cup of pasta water and set it aside

Turn to skillet on the very low

Use a spider or slotted spoon to transfer the cooked pasta to the skillet

Carefully empty the remaining pasta water over the broccoli in the colander in the sink (it cooks it just right)

Set the colander over the pasta pot and take it back to the stove

Add the broccoli to the skillet and stir to combine with the pasta

Add about 1/2 of the Parmesan and crushed red pepper to your taste

Stir over low heat to melt the cheese and create a nice sauce

Taste and use the reserved pasta water and some of the Parmesan to adjust the flavor and sauce consistency.

If using lemon zest, this is when to toss it into the mix.

Cavatelli and Broccoli

Serve immediately with extra Parmesan and cracked or crushed pepper.

Mangia!

Note: This recipe can be made with other bite-sized pasta like rigatoni, gnocchi, shells or orecchiette. Just make sure to cook them Al dente.