The trick with this recipe—if you can call it a trick—is getting the timing just right so that the pasta, broccoli stems and broccoli florets are perfectly cooked at exactly the right time. Don’t worry: even if you miss by a bit, this dish will still be delicious.
4 SERVINGS
2 |
tablespoons olive oil |
3 |
hot Italian sausages |
½ |
pound broccoli |
1 |
pound short pasta, such as gnocchi or penne |
3 |
garlic cloves, thinly sliced |
|
Juice of ½ lemon |
2 |
tablespoons minced fresh parsley |
1 |
ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated (about ¼ cup) |
Salt |
Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. While waiting for the water to boil, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Slit the sausages and squeeze the meat into the skillet; discard the skins. Break up the sausage with a wooden spoon and cook until the meat is in small pieces and deeply browned.
While the sausage is cooking, prepare the broccoli. Trim the florets from the stalk. Using a thin, sharp knife, peel the stalk and cut off the dried-out base. Dice the stalk into small pieces.
When the water comes to a boil, add the pasta. Keep track of the time. Add the sliced garlic to the sausage and keep warm over low heat. After the pasta has cooked for about 3 minutes, add the diced broccoli and stir to make sure the pasta isn’t sticking. After 4 to 5 minutes, add the broccoli florets and cook just long enough to soften them slightly and brighten the color, about 2 minutes. At this point, the pasta should be done.
Add the lemon juice and minced parsley to the sausage, then drain the pasta and broccoli, reserving ¾ cup of the cooking water. Add the pasta, broccoli and reserved cooking water to the sausage and cook over high heat, tossing and stirring constantly to lightly coat the pasta with the juices as they reduce.
Add about half of the grated cheese and stir to combine well. Season with salt to taste. Divide among four heated pasta bowls and serve immediately, passing the remaining cheese at the table.