Turn broccoli into pesto easily with this simple midweek pasta recipe from Gennaro Contaldo. Leave out the pancetta and use a vegetarian cheese to make this veggie.
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Ingredients
- 80g pancetta, finely chopped plus 6 slices, left whole
- 400g broccoli florets
- 60g Bertolli with Butter
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- Pinch of salt
- 400g small pasta cones
- Grated parmesan, to serve
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Method
- Cook the pancetta slices on a frying pan on a medium heat until crispy, drain and set aside.
- Cook the broccoli florets in boiling water until tender, about 3 minutes. Reserve some of the water, drain and set aside. Melt Bertolli with Butter (or a mixture of butter and olive oil) in a large frying pan on a medium heat. Sweat the chopped pancetta for a minute, add the garlic and sweat for a further minute. Add the broccoli with a couple of ladles of the cooking water and cook for a couple of minutes to allow the flavours to infuse. Remove from the heat and blend to a smooth consistency adding a little salt to taste.
- In the meantime, cook the pasta in boiling, slightly salted, water until al dente.
- Return the blended broccoli sauce to the frying pan, drain the pasta and over a low heat toss well together with a little cooking water and a knob of Bertolli with Butter to add shine. Serve immediately topped with crispy pancetta and grated parmesan.
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