This simple, delicious recipe is my daughter, Chloe's, favourite pasta dish. Pancetta adds a nice flavour to the broccoli but you can omit if you prefer or if cooking for vegetarians. For an extra kick, add some freshly chopped red chilli with the garlic. Bertolli with Butter is perfect for sweating as well as adding creaminess to the sauce. The ridges of the cone-shaped pasta perfectly hold the creamy sauce and the butter adds shines to the flat surfaces.
Pasta With Broccoli And Crispy Pancetta
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
- 6 x slices pancetta, left whole
- 60 gr Bertolli with Butter
- 80 gr pancetta, finely chopped
- 2 x garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 400 gr broccoli florets
- A little salt
- 400 gr small pasta cones
- grated parmesan, to serve
Method:
- Grill or oven-bake the pancetta slices until crispy but not burnt and set aside.
- Cook the broccoli florets until tender. Drain and set aside.
- Melt butter in large frying pan and on a medium heat sweat chopped pancetta for a minute, add garlic and sweat for a further minute.
- Add the broccoli with a couple of ladles of the cooking water and cook for a couple of minutes to allow the flavours to infuse. Remove from the heat and blend to a smooth consistency adding a little salt to taste.
- In the meantime, cook the pasta in boiling slightly salted water until 'al dente.'
- Return the blended broccoli sauce to the frying pan, drain the pasta and over a low heat toss well together with a little cooking water and a knob of butterto add shine.
- Serve immediately topped with crispy pancetta and grated parmesan.
Recipe courtesy Italian celeb chef Gennaro Contaldo and Bertolli with Butter.
Tagged in Recipes