Farfalle with Broccoli and Anchovies
Region: Italy
Category: Pasta with Vegetables
Season: Any
Difficulty: Easy and Quick

The secret to this otherwise plain dish are the anchovies--without them it is entirely lacking as they provide the salty kick needed.  When I first made this dish it was just my then young son Ali and I eating and we gobbled it up without talking.  I was thinking how good it was, and Ali must have been thinking the same because he said “this is really good.”  And I said, “I was thinking the same thing.”  When my younger son Seri was little he told me that this preparation was the only way he wanted to eat broccoli.

[photo: Clifford A. Wright]

Yield: Makes 4 servings
Preparation Time: 20 minutes

3/4 pound farfalle

1 pound broccoli, stems cut off and quartered lengthwise then cut up into 1-inch long pieces, florets broken into small pieces

8 salted anchovy fillets, rinsed and chopped

1 garlic clove, very finely chopped

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. For every pound of pasta, bring 6 quarts of water to a rolling boil over high heat, salt abundantly with up to 1/2 cup of salt, then add the pasta in handfuls.  After 5 minutes add the broccoli stems and a few minutes after that the broccoli florets.  Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally so the pasta doesn’t stick together, until both pasta and broccoli are al dente.  Drain without rinsing.

2. Transfer the pasta to a serving bowl and toss the pasta and broccoli with the anchovies, garlic, olive oil, and black pepper.  Serve immediately.

Variation: 

Note: 

Posted: 12/23/2006