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Pecorino

Dinner, Italian, Pasta, Recipes, Vegetarian, Veggies

Pesto Broccoli Pasta

January 3, 2025

Vibrant green basil pesto is such a versatile sauce. It is big on flavor; a little goes a long way. When basil is abundant in our garden, I’ll make a large batch of pesto and freeze it in small containers to use in the upcoming months.

Pesto is delicious tossed with all shapes of pasta. Long and thin, short spirally and twisty pastas are all so good with pesto. I used Mafaldine which is a long ribbon-shaped pasta. But pesto is not limited to only pasta. It’s a tasty addition to pizza, sandwiches, salad dressings, potatoes, chicken and pork loin to name a few.

These days I use cashews or macadamia nuts instead of pine nuts. This is due to an unfortunate pine nut syndrome experience I had some years ago. Everything, including water tasted extremely bitter and metallic. This lasted for 10 days. Ugh!!! I made a promise to myself never to eat a pine nut again and I’m sticking to it.

On another note, I now blanch my basil before proceeding with my pesto recipe. I was always disappointed with the pesto oxidizing when mixed with the pasta. The bright green color turned into a murky greenish-brownish color that looked unappealing. Blanching the basil for just 5 seconds does the trick. This little step deactivates the enzyme that causes the leaves to oxidize and leaves you with beautiful green pesto.

Like spinach, basil leaves shrivel when blanched. Don’t despair. The basil still has that herby aromatic flavor and a gorgeous emerald green color.

The combination of herby pesto and steamed broccoli pair very well together. It’s one of my favorite ways to incorporate more nutrition as well as texture and flavor to this pasta dish.

Pesto broccoli pasta is an easy dish to make. If you don’t have time to make your own pesto, use your favorite store-bought brand. You’ll have a beautiful dish to bring to the table in no time at all.

My favorite way to use leftover pesto broccoli pasta is as a frittata. It becomes a quick and tasty breakfast or lunch. I mix some eggs in a bowl then add the leftover pasta. This mixture is cooked in a skillet over medium-low heat and flipped once before serving it as is, or on good crusty pan-fried sourdough bread with arugula. It is utterly delicious.

Pesto Broccoli Pasta
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Pesto Broccoli Pasta

Recipe by Kiyo
Servings

4

Ingredients

  • Pesto

  • 4 cups basil leaves, gently packed (about 3 ounces)

  • 1/3 cup raw or roasted unsalted cashews (or substitute with macadamia nuts)

  • 1 large garlic clove, minced

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

  • 3 tablespoons Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated

  • 2 tablespoons Pecorino, finely grated (or substitute with Parmigiano Reggiano)

  • Broccoli

  • 10-12 ounces broccoli florets, cut into equal sized pieces and steamed until very fork tender

  • 8 ounces pasta such as spaghetti, fusilli, mafaldine, bow ties

  • Grated Parmigiano Reggiano for serving

Directions

  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath for the basil.
  • Once the water is boiling, blanch basil for 5 seconds. Immediately remove basil (reserve pot with water for pasta) and transfer to the ice bath (spider strainer or small metal sieve works well). Transfer cooled basil to a sieve to drain. Squeeze out excess water with clean hands. Set aside.
  • Place cashews or nuts of your choice in a food processor. Pulse a few times until nuts are finely chopped. Add basil, garlic and salt. Pulse until basil is finely chopped. Pour half of the olive oil into the food processor and pulse a few times. Continue adding olive until you reach your desired consistency. If you prefer a thinner pesto add more oil. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt if needed. Transfer pesto to a bowl and stir in the cheese.
  • Using the reserved pot of water, cook pasta according to package directions.
  • Meanwhile, steam broccoli florets until very fork tender. Remove to a large plate and chop into bite sized pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
  • Transfer cooked pasta to a large serving bowl. Mix in 1/2 cup of pesto stirring well. Add more pesto if needed. Toss broccoli with pesto pasta. Sprinkle the top with grated cheese and serve. Leftover pesto can be frozen for a few months.

Notes

  • Leftover pesto can be frozen in small containers for a few months.
Cheese, Dinner, Italian, Pasta, Recipes, Summertime Meal, Vegetarian

Kale and Walnut Pasta

April 18, 2024

Garlicky kale with toasted walnuts and salty, robust pecorino interlaced between strands of spaghetti is irresistible. So gather up a few ingredients and make this delicious, healthy pasta dinner. It’s a beautiful dish to serve to guests with thick slices of good sourdough bread.

You won’t need to drive around all morning looking for special ingredients. This inexpensive, tasty, and healthy pasta dish is a one-stop shop kind of meal.

Tuscan kale is preferred for this recipe but you could certainly use curly kale in its place. I love the dark blue-green leaves of Tuscan kale.

Smell and taste your walnuts before toasting to ensure they are fresh and not rancid. Eating a rancid nut is very unpleasant!

Whether you are a vegetarian or not, this pasta dish is a winner. I especially love the crunchy well-seasoned walnuts. Make sure to add them just before serving so they keep their crispy texture.

Kale and Walnut Pasta
Print

Kale and Walnut Pasta

Recipe by Kiyo
Servings

4

servings

Adapted from NYT Cooking

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (2 ounces) walnuts, chopped into bite-size pieces

  • 4 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided + more as needed

  • Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper

  • 3 large garlic cloves, chopped

  • 1/4 teaspoon (or to taste) red pepper flakes

  • 10-12 ounces Tuscan kale, ribs removed, chiffonade leaves into thin ribbons (you want to have at least 7 ounces)

  • 8 ounces spaghetti

  • 1/2 large lemon, cut in half

  • 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons finely grated pecorino or a combination of pecorino and parmesan

Directions

  • Place walnuts in a large pan (12-inch or 10-inch with 2 1/2-inch sides) with a lid, and turn the heat up to medium. Toast the walnuts, stirring occasionally, until just fragrant, about 3 minutes, taking care not to burn them. Add 1/2 tablespoon of the olive oil, season with salt and pepper, give a stir for 1 minute and transfer to a small bowl. Wipe out the pan to make sure there aren’t any walnut pieces remaining.
  • Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil for the pasta. While the pasta water is heating, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and the garlic to the clean (12-inch) pan and cook over low, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes, stir and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Increase heat to medium, add the kale to the pan in batches, using tongs to turn and wilt the kale in the garlicky oil, and season with salt and pepper.
  • Once all the kale is in the pan, reduce the heat to medium-low and cover. Add the spaghetti to the pot of water at this point and cook until al dente, according to package directions. As the spaghetti cooks, add a couple of ladles (about 1/2 cup) of the starchy pasta water to the kale to help it wilt down.
  • Squeeze 1 piece of the lemon over the kale and toss. Taste the kale and add more lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Keep in mind you will be adding salty pecorino or parmesan to the pasta.
  • Once the pasta is cooked, set the pot next to the pan and use tongs to transfer the spaghetti to the kale. Ladle in more of the starchy water (about 1/2 cup) add 1-2 tablespoons reserved olive oil, toss well until the pasta is glossy and silky. Add half of the walnuts and 1/4 cup of the grated cheese tossing to combine. Drizzle with a little more olive oil and another squeeze of lemon to taste. Remove from the heat and transfer pasta to a large, low-sided serving bowl. Shower with 2 tablespoons reserved cheese, top with the remaining walnuts and serve.

Notes

  • You may increase the pasta to 10 ounces for larger serving portions. If you have leftovers, keep in mind the walnuts will lose their crunchy texture but will still be delicious.
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