Broccoli Pasta with Kalamata Olives and Capers
Since I got back to Santa Fe, I’ve been craving — and eating– just about anything green I can find. I’m putting spinach and kiwis in my daily smoothies. I bought kale (again- after admitting that I’m tired of seeing it everywhere) and plan to make a salad with it later this week. Parsley, cilantro, jalapeños. And broccoli, of course, my default green veggie.
This may have something to do with my two-week burger binge for a story I was reporting for Four Seasons magazine.
In any case, after I ran out of Spinach Basil Lasagna in my freezer, I wanted more green. More pasta. I came across a recipe in The New York Times, bookmarked it, and this is sorta kinda that recipe — minus a few things which I didn’t have. I think it would actually be nicer with Pecorino Romano than with ricotta, which is what I used. It would stand up well to garlic and anchovy paste, too, but the idea of all of those super-strong flavors just didn’t appeal to me at the time, so I left out the anchovy past and the garlic, too, and used milder green onions instead. Wimpy. I know.
The verdict? It’s great. Easy. And green.
Broccoli Pasta with Kalamata Olives and Capers
Makes 2 dinner-size servings or 4 side servings
- 1 head of broccoli, florets removed and chopped into smallish pieces (save the stalks for soup)
- 4 tablespoons of olive oil
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ½ pound of pasta
- 3 green onions, chopped
- ¼ of 1 jalapeño, chopped
- 10 kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
- 1 tablespoon of capers, chopped
- 2 heaping tablespoons of ricotta
- 2 tablespoons of chopped pistachios
1 . Preheat the oven to 425°F. Toss your broccoli onto a large cookie sheet and drizzle 2 tablespoons of oil over all of it and mix it up with your hands. Sprinkle a little sea salt and pepper on top and pop it into the oven for 15 minutes or so, until the broccoli starts to brown. Take it out of the oven, flip the pieces over, and slide it back in for another 5 minutes or so, until the other side browns. (Note: You may do this in advance.)
2. Put a large pot of salted water onto boil and cook your pasta.
3. While the pasta’s cooking, put the other 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet and add the green onions, jalapeño, kalamata olives and capers. Let this cook for a minute or so, then add the broccoli. When the pasta’s ready, add it to the skillet, let it cook for a few minutes, and at the last minute, add the ricotta and the pistachios. Serve right away.
