There was a great article on cooking pasta in a small amount of water in the New York Times this week. I have been doing this since forever because I cannot wait for a big pot of water to boil and I never thought that my pasta was inferior to that cooked in the correct amount of water. So what if the water got paste-y? Never bothered me - or the family. Turns out that when restaurants cook pasta, they cook it in the same water over and over again and the water becomes very flavorful. That is why you add the pasta water to your dish in this recipe.
pot of water - maybe a three or four quart pot
1 huge bunch of broccoli.
salt
1/2 pound of any whole wheat pasta you like. We like penne or fusilli.
1/4 cup olive oil
three cloves garlic smashed or put through a garlic press
Bring a pot of water to the boil. Put some salt in. Throw in the broccoli and cook for 4 minutes. Take out the broccoli, set aside and while water is still boiling throw in the pasta. Cook according to package directions and if the directions say cook from 9 to 11 minutes, for instance, you cook to the least amount of time which would be 9 minutes.
While the pasta is cooking, Chop up the broccoli into small pieces. Put the oil and garlic in a big saute or frying pan over medium heat. Saute the garlic BUT DO NOT LET IT BROWN.
When the oil is hot and the garlic is just starting to sizzle, put in the broccoli and saute for a minute or two. Take the pasta out of the water with pasta tongs or a wire mesh skimmer (sold in Chinese or Asian stores) when done and put it into the frying pan with the broccoli. ADD a ladle full of pasta water so that the oil, water and tiny bits of broccoli act like a sauce for the pasta. Add a bit more water if you think it needs it, but not too much.
Non vegans can add grated Locatelli cheese.
This is a great quick and very tasty dish and if you add even more olive oil when cooking the garlic, it will be even better.
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