What’s better than having a good pasta dish with seasonal ingredients? It’s February and broccoli and cauliflowers are here giving main character energy.
Apart from being delicious, they’re also perfect for your health. They’re full of antioxidants, which are good for your heart, they reduce inflammation, have anti-cancer properties, and better blood sugar levels. Also, they are good for the brain, skin, and bones, and they help your immune and digestive systems.
Do you need another reason to pick them? We’d say no, so here you have 3 cheap and tasty recipes to appreciate them.
The Evergreen: Broccoli Pasta
This is a very tasty and easy dish to make, perfect if you really want to appreciate one of the most delicious winter vegetables.
For this recipe, you will boil your broccoli in the same water you boiled your pasta in, and then stir-fry everything with a little bit of olive oil, chilly flakes, and some anchovies.
Ingredients for 4 people:
- 320g of short-cut pasta
- 600g of broccoli
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 tbsp of chili flakes
- 8 anchovy fillets
- 3 tbsp of olive oil
- salt and Parmesan cheese to taste
Method:
- Cut broccoli crowns from stems and rinse them with water.
- Salt boiling water generously and add broccoli. Let them cook for 5/6 minutes then drain them (keeping a cup of broccoli water) and transfer them to a bowl of cold water.
- Once they’ve cooled off, take half of them and blend them adding a bit of cooking water and a tablespoon of oil. Add salt to taste and keep it aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat in a wide, heavy skillet and add garlic, anchovies, and chili flakes. Cook, stirring and mashing anchovies with the back of a wooden spoon, until fragrant, about 1 minute, then add the half of the broccoli you didn’t blend.
- Boil some pasta in a pot of salted water and when it’s “al dente” drain it, keeping aside a bit of cooking water just in case, add it to the skillet and let it cook there for a couple of minutes.
- Turn off the heat and add the broccoli cream you prepared earlier and stir everything.
- Plate it and sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on top.
The Tastiest: Pasta with Cauliflower and Pancetta
This is the perfect recipe for somebody who wants to surprise their friends with a dish that is seasonal and at the same time very tasty. Let’s see how it’s done.
Ingredients for 4 people:
- 320g of short-cut pasta
- 1 head of cauliflower
- 120g of pancetta
- Thyme, salt, and pepper to taste
Method:
- First, cut your pancetta into thin strips and keep it aside.
- Cut cauliflower crowns from stems, rinse them, and boil them in a pot of salted water for 5 minutes.
- Then sauté your pancetta in a wide skillet until crispy.
- Once the cauliflower is ready, transfer it directly into the skillet using a slotted spoon, and cook for 3 or 4 minutes. Then add pasta to the boiling water you used to boil your cauliflower.
- Once the pasta is “al dente” drain it, keeping a ladle of cooking water aside, add it to the skillet and cook everything together for a couple more minutes.
- Plate it and then garnish it with some thyme and pepper to taste.
The Celebrity Dish: Spaghetti with Cauliflower Sauce by Antonino Cannavacciuolo
Spaghetti with cauliflower sauce is a delicious gourmet dish you can easily replicate at home. Let’s see how it’s done!
Ingredients for 4 people:
- 320g of spaghetti
- 250 g of crustless bread
- 15 anchovy fillets
- 1 cauliflower head
- 100g of milk
- Chili flakes
- Oil, salt, and pepper to taste
Method:
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat in a wide, heavy skillet and add anchovies and chili flakes. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring and mashing anchovies with the back of a wooden spoon.
- Blend 250g of bread into big crumbs and add them to the skillet until it starts to brown a little bit.
- Transfer your bread crumbs onto a plate and keep it on the side. In the same skillet add another tablespoon of oil, minced garlic, and let cook for a couple of minutes.
- Blend your boiled cauliflower crowns with some of its cooking water and transfer it into the skillet and stir together. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Boil some spaghetti into a pot of salted water and once they’re “al dente” drain them, transfer them into the skillet with everything, and let cook for a couple of more minutes.
- Plate it and garnish it with the crunchy breadcrumbs you left aside before.