Today we want to share with you this recipe for a new twist on your pasta dishes. Tasty and crispy pancetta, combined with fresh and crunchy tenderstem broccoli. A perfect combination! Different versions of this recipe are typical of many areas of southern Italy. This simple sauce is perfect with penne or orecchiette, but today we are making it with gnocchi. We think it’s perfect comfort food for a rainy day!
Ingredients (4 servings)
500 g pasta (preferably a short shape like penne or orecchiette)
400 g tenderstem broccoli
200 g pancetta cubes
1-2 cloves of garlic
1 chili
2 tbsp of olive oil
A glass of vegetable stock
Salt
Procedure
Take a large pasta pot, fill it with water and bring it to the boil. When it starts boiling, add 2 handfuls of salt and the pasta. Stir occasionally and cook according to the instructions on the packaging. If you want it to be ‘al dente’, then drain it 1-2 minutes before the recommended cooking time. Remember to try it first! If possible, drain the pasta right before adding it to the sauce, so it doesn’t overcook or become sticky.
Take a small pan and fry the pancetta until it’s crispy. There is no need to add any oil as the fat in pancetta will melt on the pan. On a large pan heat 2 tbsp of oil, slice the garlic and the chili add them in and fry them for a couple of minutes. Then add the chopped tenderstem broccoli and a glass of vegetable stock. Let the stock reduce and the broccoli to cook in it for 5 minutes. Then add the crispy pancetta cubes and the drained pasta to the pan, stirring the ingredients together. Serve with some parmesan or ricotta salata cheese shavings!
Buon Appetito!