QUICK AND CHEAP: BROCCOLI AND CHILLI PASTA

INGREDIENTS:
Broccoli (approx 500g)
2 red hot chillies
2-3 cloves of garlic
pasta (approx 100-150 g per person)
olive oil, salt, grated parmesan cheese


This is one of the recipes I gathered from my Italian friend Mariella, who I met while attending Proficiency in English classes. She doesn't live in London any longer, but I still treasure a few of her very Italian and very simple recipes.

This pasta is a quick, healthy and cheap dish and a great idea for a midweek meal. It also makes a great starter for an Italian style dinner followed by a meat dish.

HOW TO MAKE IT:

Boil broccoli until very soft; basically it has to be overcooked so that you can easily push the fork thorough it. When broccoli is almost cooked chop the garlic and chillies. In a large frying pan heat a generous amount of olive oil (it’s olive oil after all and the broccoli will soak it up, so don’t worry if it looks too much), add garlic and chillies and fry for a few minutes. In the main time, drain all the water from the broccoli and add it to the frying pan. It should be very soft and therefore easy to mash with a fork. While frying it on a very low heat, make a thick paste of mashed broccoli, chillies and garlic; it should be of a texture similar to pesto. When ready, just mix it with the pasta you have already cooked. Serve with grated parmesan cheese. I usually use the butterly-shaped pasta ("farfalle"), but I think the broccoli and chilli paste will work with any shape you like.