Treat yourself and the family with this delicious Penne with Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Pine Nuts, Chili, and Lemon recipe, plus discover many other easy recipes at 24/7 Mom.
Penne with Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Pine Nuts, Chili, and Lemon
- 14.1 oz purple sprouting broccoli
- 14.1 oz Penne Pasta
- 3.5 oz pine nuts (toasted)
- 2 tbsp olive oil (for pan frying)
- 2 shallots (peeled and finely chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (peeled and finely chopped)
- 1/2 red chili (de-seeded and finely chopped)
- sea salt and pepper
- 1 unwaxed lemon (the zest removed and the juice squeezed)
- Wash and trim the purple sprouting broccoli, discarding any tough parts to the stalks and cutting them into 2 cm pieces. Set aside.
- Heat a large saucepan of water, and when the water is boiling, pour in the penne pasta. Boil the pasta for approximately 12 minutes, until it is soft but still has a bite to it. When ready, drain the pasta.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat a smaller saucepan of water on the stove, and when the water is boiling, blanch the purple sprouting broccoli for no more than 3 minutes. Drain and leave to cool on a preparation tray.
- Toast the pine nuts in a dry non-stick frying pan. Be very careful not to burn them. The secret is to keep shaking the pan so they do not stick to the bottom and burn.
- Take a heavy saucepan and heat the oil. Add the finely chopped shallot, garlic and red chili, along with a pinch of sea salt and some freshly grated black pepper. Soften the vegetables quite gently, adding a small amount of water to help create steam in the pan.
- When the vegetables in the pan are soft, add the cooked pasta, the lemon zest, a little of the lemon juice and the toasted pine nuts. Mix well and fry for 3 minutes. Add the blanched purple sprouting broccoli, mix well, and then turn off the heat.
- Serve on a warm platter, with extra lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil.
