Penne with Broccoli and Pesto Recipe

Penne With Broccoli And Pesto Recipe

Ingredients

Makes 3 To 4 Servings

• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¾ cup pesto, store-bought or homemade (chapter 8: party snacks)
• salt for the pasta water
• ¾ pound penne
• 1 large head of broccoli (1½ pounds) cut into 2-inch spears
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Pour the olive oil into a large bowl
2. Add the pesto and whisk until uniformly blended
3. Set aside
4. Put a large pot of cold water to boil over high heat, and add a tablespoon of salt
5. Place a large colander in the sink
6. When the water boils, add the penne, keeping the heat high
7. Cook for close to the amount of time recommended on the package
8. Taste the pasta, and when it looks like the penne have about a minute or so to go, add the broccoli directly to the boiling water
9. The broccoli will cook in seconds
10. When the pasta and broccoli are just tender enough to bite into comfortably but not yet mushy, ladle out and save about 1 cup of the pasta water, then dump the remaining water-plus-pasta-plus-broccoli into the colander
11. Shake to mostly drain (it’s okay to leave some water clinging), and then transfer the pasta-plus-broccoli to the pesto mixture
12. Mix well, so all of the pasta and broccoli is evenly coated with pesto and olive oil
13. Toss in the parmesan as you mix (it will melt, coating everything nicely), and then stir in the salt plus about 6 grinds of black pepper (or to taste)
14. If the pasta looks dry, stir in some of the reserved pasta water, a few tablespoons at a time
15. Serve the pasta hot, warm, at room temperature, or even cold

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