The last straw

I used to love Broccoli Pasta. Especially at this time of the year, when the vendors at the City Market have beautiful broccoli again, for the first time since spring. I picked some up last Saturday, as I do every Saturday when it's available. I was cutting up the broccoli for Broccoli Pasta one day after work this week when Cassie got home from school. I was feeling very dapper because I had gotten a haircut that day. Cassie is always the first one to notice when I get a haircut so I expected her to say something. She did. My lovely daughter said, "You have a bald spot."

Coming about 10 days short of the one-year anniversary of tearing my hamstring and the long period of physical decline and existential angst that ensued, that was enough to get me ranting and raving about the ravages of age. When I calmed down, I remembered that, to paraphrase Cassie, if I didn't want to be insulted, I shouldn't have had children. But that's okay. Now that Broccoli Pasta is dead to me, I'll just buy a lot more butternut squash instead, since they also have plenty of that at the City Market this time of year. (Cassie loves Broccoli Pasta. Pasta with Butternut Squash? Not so much.)

[2/18/20 UPDATE: In step 6, I used to combine the grated pecorino Romano with 2 tablespoons of oil to keep the cheese from clumping up when you stir it into the hot pasta. I've since discovered that this trick works better when you combine the cheese with a little cornstarch. If you don't have any cornstarch around, you can keep using the old method.]

Broccoli Pasta

Adapted from The Italian Pantry (1990) by Anna Del Conte

Time: 35 minutes

The original recipe calls for a dried, seeded chili and 6 anchovy fillets to be chopped along with the garlic. If you have a dried chili and/or anchovy fillets around, by all means use them, but I usually substitute the red pepper flakes and anchovy paste to make things quicker and simpler. You can skip the anchovy paste/fillets altogether, though you'll be missing out on the umami they bring to the table.

1 pound broccoli
1 to 2 tablespoons fine sea salt
1 pound orecchiette, farfalle, or other medium-sized pasta
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced, pressed, or grated on a Microplane
a large pinch of red pepper flakes (see note)
1 tablespoon (17 grams) anchovy paste (see note)
28 grams freshly grated pecorino Romano cheese (¼ cup on a regular grater, more than that on a Microplane)
¼ teaspoon cornstarch (see the update above)
freshly grated Parmesan cheese, optional

    1. Put 4 quarts of water on to boil in a large stockpot.
    2. While the water is heating up, trim off the leaves and the bottom two inches or so from the big center stalk of the broccoli. Cut whole florets from the center stalk, then slice the florets into smaller pieces of about equal size. Peel the stalk (Jacques Pépin thinks it's the best part of the broccoli) with a vegetable peeler or a small paring knife, then slice the peeled stalk into ¼-inch-thick rounds. (You can skip this last part if you're pressed for time.)
    3. When the water has come to a rolling boil, add the salt and stir to dissolve. Stir in the broccoli and cook for about 4 minutes. It'll cook more later so you don't want it to be overcooked and mushy now. Remove the broccoli with a slotted spoon or a spider to a dinner plate lined with paper towels.
    4. Add the pasta to the same pot you cooked the broccoli in and stir a few times during the first minute or two to keep it from sticking. Cook until al dente.
    5. While the pasta is cooking, add the garlic, red pepper flakes, anchovy paste, and half the oil (33 grams; 2½ tablespoons) to a saucier pan or large sauté pan and place over medium heat. Sauté until the garlic is just beginning to color, about 2 minutes. Don't burn the garlic or you'll have to start over. Add the broccoli, stir to coat with the oil, and sauté for a few minutes. Turn the heat down if it's cooking too much.
    6. While the pasta and/or broccoli are cooking, combine the grated pecorino Romano cheese with the cornstarch in a small bowl. This will keep the cheese from clumping up when you add it to the hot pasta.
    7. When the pasta is almost done, scoop out a mugful of the cooking water. Drain the pasta, then add it to the saucier or sauté pan and stir-fry for a minute or so. (If your pan isn't big enough to hold the pasta and the broccoli sauce, just combine everything in the pasta pot.)
    8. Take the pan off the heat, and stir in ¼ cup (a 2-ounce ladleful) of the pasta cooking water, the remaining oil (33 grams; 2½ tablespoons), and the pecorino. Taste and adjust for salt. Add some more of the reserved pasta cooking water if the pasta seems too dry. Serve promptly, with freshly grated Parmesan on the side if you like. Serves 4.