Green broccoli pasta that makes the most of a whole head, stems included. The sauce gets its flavour from garlic and guanciale and is finished with pecorino and lemon, with roasted florets, crispy guanciale and a panko pangrattato for crunch. I reckon it’s the best way to use a head of broccoli.
Ingredients
- Sauce
- 2 Broccoli
- 3 cloves Garlic, thinly sliced
- 15 g Olive oil
- 0.5 Lemon zest
- 10 g Fresh lemon juice
- 25 g Pecorino Romano, finely grated
- Pangrattato
- 15 g Olive oil
- 15 g Panko breadcrumbs
- To cook and finish
- 125 g Guanciale, sliced into 2-4mm lardons
- 150 g Rigatoni
- 20 g Pecorino Romano, finely grated, to finish
Equipment
Put the guanciale into a large, cold frying pan or saucier and set over a low heat. Render slowly, stirring occasionally, until the fat has pooled and the meat has shrunk and crisped without taking on much colour.
Lift out with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving all the rendered fat in the pan.
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan (400°F) and bring a large saucepan of well-salted water to the boil.
Cut the broccoli into very small florets, saving the fine crumbs that fall away as you work. Trim the thick stems and peel off the fibrous outer layer, and cut the tender core into chunks.
Toss two-thirds of the florets on a baking tray with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast until deeply golden and crisp at the edges — about 15–20 minutes.
Add the stems and the remaining third of the florets to the boiling water and cook until completely tender and soft, about 10 minutes.
Heat the olive oil in a small frying pan over a medium heat. Add the reserved broccoli crumbs and fry until they sizzle and begin to crisp. Add the panko and cook, stirring, until golden brown.
Season lightly with sea salt and tip into a bowl to stop them browning further.
Set the guanciale pan with its rendered fat over a medium heat. Add the garlic and cook gently until soft and fragrant, keeping it moving so it does not colour. Move straight to the next step once its ready to prevent it going too far.
Add the boiled stems and florets to the garlic along with a few spoonfuls of the cooking water. Cook until everything is soft and well combined, about 5 minutes.
Bring a pan of well-salted water to the boil. Add the rigatoni and cook to one minute less than the packet time, it finishes cooking in the sauce.
Tip the broccoli and garlic into a blender, adding a small splash of cold water to bring the temperature down and blend until smooth.
Return the sauce to the pan and bring to a low simmer. Stir through the lemon zest.
Lift the pasta into the sauce and cook together for a further minute, loosening with a little pasta water if it needs.
Take the pan off the heat and leave to rest for one minute. Add the pecorino and toss until melted through and glossy.
Stir in the lemon juice, then taste and adjust the seasoning and lemon.
Spoon the pasta into warmed bowls. Top with the roasted florets, a scatter of pangrattato, and a pile of crisp guanciale. Finish with the remaining pecorino.
Notes & Substitutions
Guanciale: A good-quality guanciale that is very low in sugar and well dried out works best here. It crisps cleanly with almost no colour. A poorer, wetter, or sweeter guanciale darkens significantly before the meat and fat have had a chance to render and crisp.
Breadcrumbs: Panko gives a light, crisp, chunky topping that holds its crunch on the plate. Fine dried breadcrumbs work too if you want a finer, more even crumb. Homemade breadcrumbs from sourdough are great too.
Serve immediately: The sauce is at its best straight from the pan. It thickens as it cools, so have the bowls warm and everyone at the table.
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Broccoli Pasta
COOKED
PROPERLY
Ingredients
- 2 Broccoli
- 3 cloves Garlic (thinly sliced)
- 15 g Olive oil
- 0.5 Lemon zest
- 10 g Fresh lemon juice
- 25 g Pecorino Romano (finely grated)
- 15 g Olive oil
- 15 g Panko breadcrumbs
- 125 g Guanciale (sliced into 2-4mm lardons)
- 150 g Rigatoni
- 20 g Pecorino Romano (finely grated, to finish)
Equipment
- Stainless steel saucier
- Microplane grater
- Blender
Method
Render the guanciale
125 g Guanciale
Put the guanciale into a large, cold frying pan or saucier and set over a low heat. Render slowly, stirring occasionally, until the fat has pooled and the meat has shrunk and crisped without taking on much colour.
Lift out with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving all the rendered fat in the pan.
Use a good-quality guanciale that is well dried and low in sugar. A drier cure crisps cleanly and stays pale, a wetter or higher sugar one darkens before the fat has rendered, turning it bitter.
Preheat and prep the broccoli
2 Broccoli
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan (400°F) and bring a large saucepan of well-salted water to the boil.
Cut the broccoli into very small florets, saving the fine crumbs that fall away as you work. Trim the thick stems and peel off the fibrous outer layer, and cut the tender core into chunks.
Roast the florets
15 g Olive oil
Toss two-thirds of the florets on a baking tray with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast until deeply golden and crisp at the edges — about 15–20 minutes.
Boil the stems and florets
Add the stems and the remaining third of the florets to the boiling water and cook until completely tender and soft, about 10 minutes.
Fry the pangrattato
15 g Olive oil · 15 g Panko breadcrumbs
Heat the olive oil in a small frying pan over a medium heat. Add the reserved broccoli crumbs and fry until they sizzle and begin to crisp. Add the panko and cook, stirring, until golden brown.
Season lightly with sea salt and tip into a bowl to stop them browning further.
Soften the garlic
3 cloves Garlic
Set the guanciale pan with its rendered fat over a medium heat. Add the garlic and cook gently until soft and fragrant, keeping it moving so it does not colour. Move straight to the next step once its ready to prevent it going too far.
Be very careful not to brown the garlic. Browned garlic turns bitter and the bitterness carries through the whole sauce.
Combine and simmer the broccoli
Add the boiled stems and florets to the garlic along with a few spoonfuls of the cooking water. Cook until everything is soft and well combined, about 5 minutes.
Cook the pasta
150 g Rigatoni
Bring a pan of well-salted water to the boil. Add the rigatoni and cook to one minute less than the packet time, it finishes cooking in the sauce.
Around 12g of salt per litre of water seasons the pasta properly.
Blend the sauce
Tip the broccoli and garlic into a blender, adding a small splash of cold water to bring the temperature down and blend until smooth.
Bring the sauce together
0.5 Lemon zest
Return the sauce to the pan and bring to a low simmer. Stir through the lemon zest.
Finish the pasta
Lift the pasta into the sauce and cook together for a further minute, loosening with a little pasta water if it needs.
Cheese, lemon, season
10 g Fresh lemon juice · 25 g Pecorino Romano
Take the pan off the heat and leave to rest for one minute. Add the pecorino and toss until melted through and glossy.
Stir in the lemon juice, then taste and adjust the seasoning and lemon.
Let the pan cool for that minute before the cheese goes in. Pecorino added to a hot sauce clumps rather than melting smoothly.
Serve
20 g Pecorino Romano
Spoon the pasta into warmed bowls. Top with the roasted florets, a scatter of pangrattato, and a pile of crisp guanciale. Finish with the remaining pecorino.
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One bowl per ingredient. It sounds simple. It changes everything.
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One bowl per ingredient. It sounds simple. It changes everything.
£25-£75
One bowl per ingredient. It sounds simple. It changes everything.
£25-£75
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