Pasta with Broccoli
Serving size for this recipe: 6-8 people
Average cost: $11 (the cheese is the most expensive part of the dish- but worth every penny)
Here we are- almost half way through February, and it is still cold outside. The infamous groundhog tells us six more weeks of winter, so- here is a dish that will warm you up and keep you happy till that sun shines again. This recipe is one my mom has made my entire life (and probably before it as well) it just speaks to me now more than ever before. Just simply called pasta with broccoli, nothing fancy about it- just spectacular flavors :) I have tweaked it slightly to make it my own, but that is the beauty of cooking, a recipe is one ingredient away from being transformed. It is rustic and a little spicy, super tasty, but most importantly- its inexpensive and easy! It's a great vegetarian pasta dish too! This is what you'll need:
1 lb. of Bucatini (this is a long pasta that is hollow- from the Italian word for hole "buco" )
1 Large head of broccoli
5 slices of bread (crusty bread is best)
1.5 cups of grated pecorino Romano cheese (this is crucial, try not to substitute)
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 of a small sweet onion (or 1 shallot)
1 tsp of peperoncino (red pepper flakes)
1 tsp of butter
1/2 a cup of white wine
extra virgin olive oil
Okay, lets begin. Start out with a little prep work. You should break down the broccoli into florets and just use a vegetable peeler to clean the stem- there is so much flavor in the stem, it's not just the handle :) Next put all of your broccoli pieces into a food processor and run it on pulse in 3 second increments (we are trying to chop up the broccoli, not puree it) when the pieces are about the size of peas, empty the broccoli into a bowl and set it in the refrigerator. Then, take your slices of bread and and put them in the food processor and pulse them down to fine bread crumbs. Heat a small pan to on medium high heat and add your butter, toast the bread crumbs in the pan stirring them often to avoid burning. Once they are toasted, remove from heat and set aside for later use.
At this point, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a couple teaspoons of salt to the water. Let the pasta cook for 8 minutes, checking it till it is al dente (with a little bite to it, not uncooked and not fully cooked) While the pasta is cooking you're going to dice your onion and mince the garlic. Get a large saute pan over medium heat and coat the bottom of the pan with the olive oil. Once the pan is hot, add in the onion, stir them well- we are trying to to cook them till they are translucent (cooking them without color, or browning). This keeps the onions sweet, and that's right where we want them. Next, add in the garlic, just cook everything together for about 2 minutes, stirring them to avoid burning the garlic.
The second half of this cooking moves fast- so ready, set, go!
clear your stove of all pots and pans except the pan with onions and garlic- turn this pan up to medium high and add the white wine, let this reduce for 1 minute. next add in the broccoli, stir it in and let it cook with the onions and garlic for 3 to 4 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed with salt. Add your peperoncino, and stir. add your pasta to the pan, with a pair of tongs, pick up the pasta and incorporate it into the other ingredients, stirring and lifting, don't break up the pasta too much! next add the bread crumbs, repeat the stirring and lifting, incorporating the bread crumbs, remove the pan from the heat and get your serving dish out. Transfer the pasta to the dish with the tongs and empty the pan of all remaining food (broccoli, onions, whatever was clinging on) finally add half the pecorino romano cheese and give it one final stir and lift. top with the remaining cheese and eat!
You did it! You can add this to your family cookbook if you want. I hope you try it, please leave me some comments if you'd like.
I hope you can make memories in your kitchen, enjoy!
I ordered off of the $5.99 Lunch Specials menu, this got me my entree and a good sized salad. You can choose from several dressing options. I opted for the house Italian dressing. The waitress informed me that it was an oil based dressing made with some of their marinara. It wasn't really appetizing to look at (kinda looked like ketchup). But it wasn't bad- it reminded me of a Catalina dressing, but slightly more acidic. It was very sweet though, not really to my taste. I would have preferred something more savory. The salad was nothing special, just bagged greens and some croutons. 
Then my entree came out, all hot and bubbly! I got the Pasta Trio, which was one cheese ravioli, one stuffed shell, and a small portion of lasagna covered in sauce and mozzarella cheese, then popped in the oven to bake for a few minutes. The portions size was good for lunch. The flavors where there, it was a good sauce, and the meat inside the lasagna was so tender and flavorful. All of the pasta was also tender- the creaminess of the ricotta just enhanced the dish so nicely. 
Finally, as I usually do when I try a new place- I looked over the dessert menu. The waitress recommended the Chocolate Mousse cake. The mousse was light and fluffy and the cake was soft. There was some chocolate shavings on top, but then they killed it for me by dousing the whole thing in raspberry and chocolate syrup. I could have done without the sauces. It just looked a little cluttered on the plate- sometimes less is more, and in this case that would have been true.
I enjoyed talking with Labi, the manager of Napoli's. He told me he hails from Venice and is still getting used to being in Missouri, but he likes it. He asked me how the food was and told me about their other locations. The Lee's Summit location is still waiting for their liquor license (I mean you gotta have a little vino with dinner), but he's hoping it will come in soon. I am happy that there is a new Italian business here in my town. There is always room for improvement, even in the best restaurants. Napoli's is still young, give 'em time and I think they'll be just fine. 
