Rotini with Broccoli

It's been a while since I last blogged. Yes at times, I think it's good to just take a break, relax, do your usual day to day thing and not do anything much. And if reading a book feeds your soul, do it. Indeed, I do love my own quiet moments and I really treasure these moments.

 

Source: http://www.vpfunworld.com/happy-quotes-about-life-tumblr/

 

After the good break, it's high time for a potluck!! Potluck with I Heart Cooking Clubs this week :)

I have been trying to eat clean and healthier lately too and coupling that with exercise. It is indeed good for your soul as well. Possibly it is psychologically telling you that you are feeling better. But hey, if you think you feel better, you will feel better, isn't it? Afterall, you are also what you think :)

This time, I decided to make broccoli with pasta. I made mine with Rotini which is also otherwise known as the spiral pasta. I used Giada's recipe which is taken from her book, Weeknights with Giada: Quick and Simple Recipes to Revamp Dinner. I made my own modifications in blue. This recipe easily serves 4 but I didn't really measure it since it was just for my own consumption.

 

Ingredients:

 

1 pound spiral pasta (or whichever pasta you fancy)

2 heads broccoli, chopped into 1/2-inch florets

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 tbsp butter
3 garlic cloves, chopped
5 anchovy fillets, diced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1 cup button mushrooms, each sliced into half
 

Method: 

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally. After 5 minutes, add the broccoli florets to the pasta and stir and cook for another 4 minutes. Drain pasta and broccoli, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the garlic, anchovies, and red pepper flakes and button mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes. Add the broccoli, pasta, salt and pepper and toss. Add some of the reserved pasta water, if necessary, to make a light sauce. Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with Parmesan. For a tad sourish and spicy touch, I added some spicy hot tabasco sauce and stir through.

It's really a quick way of cooking pasta, no fuss actually. Try it when you are running short of ingredients or time, whichever.

 

 

This is definitely a brilliant recipe to bring for potluck, a perfect one-dish meal at it.

 

I'm submitting this post to I Heart Cooking Clubs. Check out what my fellow IHCC-ers brought here.

I'm also submitting this post to Cook-Your-Books #12 organized by Joyce of kitchenflavours.