Pasta With Pancetta, Broccoli or Broccoli Rabe and Pine Nuts
photo by Satyne
- Ready In:
- 40mins
- Ingredients:
- 12
- Serves:
-
4
ingredients
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and flattened
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 3 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, chopped
- 1 teaspoon fennel seed, crushed
- 1⁄4 teaspoon dry crushed red pepper (optional)
- 1 bunch broccoli or 1 large broccoli rabe, stems sliced 1/2-inch thick, tops cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 cup water
- 1 (8 7/8 ounce) package dried pappardelle pasta
- 1 cup freshly grated pecorino romano cheese, plus additional for serving
- 1⁄2 cup pine nuts, toasted
directions
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook until golden brown, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes.
- Discard garlic. Add onion, pancetta and fennel seeds to skillet; sauté until onion is tender and pancetta begins to brown, about 8 minutes. Add crushed red pepper (if using), then broccoli stems and cook 4 minutes to soften slightly, stirring occasionally. Stir in broccoli tops, sprinkle with salt, and add 1 cup water. Cover and cook until stems and tops are tender, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid.
- Add pasta to skillet with broccoli and stir over low heat to combine, adding reserved cooking liquid by tablespoonfuls to moisten if necessary. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons oil and 1 cup cheese. Season to taste wtih salt and a generous amount of pepper.
- Transfer to large shallow bowl. Sprinkle with pine nuts and serve, passing additional grated cheese separately.
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Reviews
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I have actually made this dish a few times and I love it. I followed recipe mostly, left the garlic in the pan and then 'toasted' my pine nuts before removing both and then continuing along. I also got my pasta timed fairly well, so managed to use pasta water for the 1 cup water and didn't end up needing to add extra at the end. Lovely dish.
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This is a GREAT meal. I was just going to post this same recipe but thought I would check b4 I did. Glad I did lol. If you don't mind, I'd like to add my 2 pennies. In an attempt to lesson the load on my wallet, I've use diced bacon rather than the pancetta and at the request of DH I use 2x more than called for in the recipe. I usually start with the bacon and add the garlic in step 2. I find just before I add the rapini its necessary to deglaze the pan which I do with a few tablespoons of water or white wine. I've also use fettuccini rather than papparadelle as its hard to find around here if I don't make it myself. This also works well with orchiette(sp?) or shells or even with wide egg noodles (after all, papparadelle is an egg pasta). Don't drain it too well and it adds enough water so the dish isn't too dry. ALSO, if you find the broccoli rabe to be too bitter it helps to cook it in boiling water for 3 minutes, then drain and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking. I also only spin it once in the salad spinner and leave it a little damp like the pasta. If you do this it isn't necessary to add the rapini in stages just dump it all in at step 3. This is a WONDERFUL recipe. The flavors compliment eachother so well. Even DH, who every time I make this tells me he doesn't like broccoli rabe, goes back for seconds and thirds. Great post!
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Sandi From CA
Arcadia, California